World Soccer

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 7PM ARGENTINA (0) 2 (Messi 64, Fernandez 87) MEXICO (0) 0 Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail Att: 88,966 Ref: Orsato (Ita) ARGENTINA E. Martinez; Montiel (Molina 63), Otamendi, Li. Martinez, Acuna; Di Maria (Romero 69), De Paul, Rodriguez (Fernandez 57), Mac Allister (Palacios 69); Messi, La. Martinez (Alvarez 63). ∆ Montiel MEXICO Ochoa; K. Alvarez (Jimenez 66), Araujo, Montes, Moreno, Gallardo; Chavez, Herrera, Guardado (Gutierrez 42); Lozano (Alvarado 73), Vega (Antuna 66). ∆ Araujo, Gutierrez, Herrera, Alvarado GOALS 1-0 Angel Di Maria picks out Lionel Messi, who hits a pinpoint strike to find the bottom corner. 2-0 Afterashort corner, Enzo Fernandez beats Erick Gutierrez with a stepover and curls a wonderful strike past Guillermo Ochoa. MESSI INSPIRES ARGENTINA Both teams entered this contest needing inspiration, and Messi came closest to providing it in the opening 45 minutes, hitting a free-kick that Guillermo Ochoa punched awkwardly. Mexico’s most exciting moment of the match came from their own free-kick, although Emi Martinez impressively held onto Alexis Vega’s effort. La Albiceleste’s squad has the quality to provide moments of magic but it once again came down to Messi to lift the nation just after the hour mark. Showing off the depth of talent at Lionel Scaloni’s disposal, Enzo Fernandez came off the bench to add some comfort with another eye-catching finish from a Messi assist. MATTER OF FACT Lionel Messi became the first player to record an assist at five different men’s World Cups. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 7PM POLAND (0) 0 ARGENTINA (0) 2 (Mac Allister 46, Alvarez 67) Stadium 974, Doha Att: 44,089 Ref: Makkelie (Ned) POLAND Szczesny; Cash, Glik, Kiwior, Bereszynski (Jedrzejczyk 72); Zielinski, Bielik (D. Szymanski 62), Krychowiak (Piatek 83), Frankowski (Kaminski 46); Swiderski (Skoras 46), Lewandowski. ∆ Krychowiak ARGENTINA E. Martinez; Molina, Otamendi, Romero, Acuna (Tagliafico 59); De Paul, Fernandez (Pezzella 79), Mac Allister (Almada 84); Di Maria (Paredes 59), Messi, Alvarez (La. Martinez 79). ∆ Acuna GOALS 0-1 Nahuel Molina’s cut-back finds Alexis Mac Allister, whose first-time shot dribbles in off the far post past Wojciech Szczesny. 0-2 After collecting Enzo Fernandez’s pass, Julian Alvarez fires brilliantly into the top corner. ARGENTINA AND POLAND THROUGH Needing a win to ensure their progression to the knockout stages, Argentina went on the offensive and Marcos Acuna came agonisingly close before Angel Di Maria almost scored directly from a corner. Their biggest chance came when Leo Messi was caught by Wojciech Szczesny, but the goalkeeper recovered by getting a strong right hand to Messi’s penalty. Poland still offered very little after the interval and Argentina scored within a minute of the restart, then again after the hour mark. Jakub Kiwior then escaped punishment for a terrible pass that played substitute Lautaro Martinez in – his miss ensuring both teams went through. MATTER OF FACT Poland reached the World Cup knockout stages for the first time since1986. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 7PM SAUDI ARABIA (0) 1 (S. Al Dawsari 90+5) MEXICO (0) 2 (Martin 47, Chavez 52) Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail Att: 84,985 Ref: Oliver (Eng) SAUDI ARABIA Al Owais; Al Ghannam (Bahebri 88), Al Amri, Al Tambakti, Al Bulayhi (Sharahili 37); Al Hassan (Madu 46), Abdulhamid; S. Al Dawsari, Kanno, Al Buraikan; Al Shehri (Al Obud 62). ∆ Al Shehri, Al Hassan, Al Tambakti, Madu, Al Amri, Bahebri MEXICO Ochoa; Sanchez (K. Alvarez 86), Montes, Moreno, Gallardo; E. Alvarez (Funes Mori 86), Chavez; Lozano, Pineda (Rodriguez 77), Vega (Antuna 46); Martin (Jimenez 77). ∆ E. Alvarez GOALS 0-1 Cesar Montes’ flick from a corner finds Henry Martin, who taps in ahead of his marker. 0-2 Luis Chavez finds the top corner with a left-footed free-kick of outrageous quality. 1-2 Salem Al Dawsari plays a one-two with Hattan Bahebri and calmly finishes. MEXICO MAGIC TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE Mexico played at a blistering pace in pursuit of the convincing win they needed, but the Saudis’ combative response left El Tri frustrated in the first half. The picture changed in the second half, as two goals meant Mexico needed just one more to usurp Poland. However, Hirving Lozano and Uriel Antuna were denied by the offside flag, Henry Martin struck over from a promising position, and Mohammed Al Owais made sure he wasn’t beaten by another Luis Chavez free-kick. Eventually, Salem Al Dawsari brought Mexico’s hopes to a crushing end. MATTER OF FACT Mexico last failed to reach the knockouts in 1978. P W DLFA Pts ARGENTINA 3201526 POLAND 3111224 MEXICO 3111234 SAUDI ARABIA 3102353 Goal attempts ( on target) 5(2) 4(1) Corners 4 2 Fouls 15 19 Possession 59% 41% Goal attempts ( on target) 4(0) 23(12) Corners 1 9 Fouls 6 11 Possession 27% 73% Goal attempts ( on target) 10(2) 26(11) Corners 1 8 Fouls 20 18 Possession 39% 61% WORLD SOCCER 51 GROUP C Main man ...Messi First international goal...Mac Allister Perfection...Chavez’s outstanding free-kick

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1PM DENMARK (0) 0 TUNISIA (0) 0 Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan Att: 42,925 Ref: Ramos (Mex) DENMARK Schmeichel; Andersen, Kjaer (Jensen 65), Christensen; Kristensen, Hojbjerg, Delaney (Damsgaard 45+1), Maehle; Eriksen; Skov Olsen (Lindstrom 65), Dolberg (Cornelius 65). ∆ Kristensen, Jensen TUNISIA Dahmen; Bronn, Meriah, Talbi; Drager (Kechrida 88), Skhiri, Laidouni (Sassi 88), Abdi; Ben Slimane (Sliti 67), Msakni (Mejbri 80); Jebali (Khenissi 80). ∆ Khenissi PLUCKY TUNISIA, DENMARK BELOW PAR Tunisia brought a vibrancy and energy to this game – epitomised by Aissa Laidouni’s emphatic celebration after his early tackle on Christian Eriksen – and nearly fashioned victory against a stuttering Denmark. The North Africans were in control during the first half and almost scored just before the break when Kasper Schmeichel made a fine save from Issam Jebali. Denmark improved withaswitch of formation to 4-3-3 that allowed more attacking thrust, yet created very few openings. Eriksen’s 20-yard shot was brilliantly tipped away by Aymen Dahmen, and from the subsequent corner substitute Andreas Cornelius somehow headed against a post from just a yard out. There was a VAR check for handball against Tunisian defender Yassine Meriah in added time, but Danish appeals for a penalty were correctly rejected. MATTER OF FACT Fifteen of the 24 shots in this match came in the aftermath of a corner kick, the most recorded in a World Cup game since1966. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 7PM FRANCE (2) 4 (Rabiot 27, Giroud 32, 71, Mbappe 68) AUSTRALIA (1) 1 (Goodwin 9) Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah Att: 40,875 Ref: Gomes (RSA) FRANCE Lloris; Pavard (Kounde 89), Konate, Upamecano, L. Hernandez (T. Hernandez13); Tchouameni (Fofana 77), Rabiot; Dembele (Coman 77), Griezmann, Mbappe; Giroud (Thuram 89). AUSTRALIA Ryan; Atkinson (Degenek 85), Souttar, Rowles, Behich; Mooy; Leckie, Irvine (Baccus 85), McGree (Mabil 73), Goodwin (Kuol 73); Duke (Cummings 56). ∆ Duke, Irvine, Mooy GOALS 0-1 A brilliant switch of play allows Mathew Leckie to cross from the right and Craig Goodwin converts beyond Hugo Lloris at the far post. 1-1 Adrien Rabiot heads home smartly from a left-wing cross by substitute Theo Hernandez. 2-1 A clever flick from Mbappe puts Rabiot free and his pass is swept home by Giroud. 3-1 Ousmane Dembele curls in a cross from the right and Mbappe heads in off the post. 4-1 Mbappe skips past his marker and crosses from the left for Giroud to head home powerfully. MBAPPE SPARKLES FOR LES BLEUS Kylian Mbappe gave instant evidence of his excellence with a dazzling display to inspire France after the shock of conceding an early goal. He overwhelmed Australia, and there was also a joy in his play that can sometimes seem absent. Olivier Giroud showed he can be a more than capable alternative to Karim Benzema, who missed the tournament with a late injury. MATTER OF FACT Giroud’s double saw him equal Thierry Henry on 51 goals as France’s all-time record scorer. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 10AM TUNISIA (0) 0 AUSTRALIA (1) 1 (Duke 23) Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah Att: 41,823 Ref: Siebert (Ger) TUNISIA Dahmen; Bronn (Kechrida 73), Meriah, Talbi; Drager (Sassi 46), Skhiri, Laidouni (Khazri 67), Abdi; Sliti, Msakni; Jebali (Khenissi 73). ∆ Laidouni, Abdi, Sassi AUSTRALIA Ryan; Karacic (Degenek 75), Souttar, Rowles, Behich; Leckie (Baccus 85), Irvine, Mooy, Goodwin (Mabil 85); McGree (Hrustic 64), Duke (Maclaren 64). GOALS 0-1 Mitchell Duke showed rare intelligence to score with a fabulous flicked header to guide home a deflected cross from Craig Goodwin. SOCCEROOS SCRAP VITAL VICTORY Australia knew that defeat would knock them out of the tournament, but repelled constant second-half pressure from Tunisia to scramble a joyfully celebrated win. Mitchell Duke’s clever first-half header gave Australia an advantage that was protected by a stubborn defence led by Harry Souttar. In front of a raucous contingent of support, the Tunisians could not match the verve they had displayed in their opening group match against Denmark and struggled to get their game going in the first half. But they came desperately close to an equaliser in the second period when Socceroos keeper Mathew Ryan denied Youssef Msakni and Wahbi Khazri, while Australia went close themselves when Mat Leckie agonisingly failed to reach Jamie Maclaren’s low cross. MATTER OF FACT This was the first time the Socceroos had ever led a World Cup match at half-time. GROUP D Goal attempts ( on target) 11(5) 13(1) Corners 11 9 Fouls 9 10 Possession 61% 39% Goal attempts ( on target) 23(7) 4(1) Corners 8 1 Fouls 5 11 Possession 62% 38% Goal attempts ( on target) 14(4) 9(2) Corners 5 2 Fouls 16 15 Possession 58% 42% WOR L D CU P 2 0 22: THE C O M P L E T E R E C OR D 52 WORLD SOCCER Gilt edge...Cornelius misses a sitter At the double... Olivier Giroud Fabulous header ...Mitchell Duke

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 4PM FRANCE (0) 2 (Mbappe 61, 86) DENMARK (0) 1 (Christensen 68) Stadium 974, Doha Att: 42,860 Ref: Marciniak (Pol) FRANCE Lloris; Kounde, Varane (Konate 75), Upamecano, T. Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Dembele (Coman 75), Griezmann (Fofana 90+3), Mbappe; Giroud (Thuram 62). ∆ Kounde DENMARK Schmeichel; Andersen, Christensen, Nelsson; Kristensen (Bah 90+2), Hojbjerg, Eriksen, Maehle; Lindstrom (Norgaard 85), Damsgaard (Dolberg 73); Cornelius (Braithwaite 46). ∆ Christensen, Cornelius GOALS 1-0 Mbappe expertly pokes home from close range, converting a cut-back by Theo Hernandez. 1-1 Andreas Christensen heads home at the back post after Joachim Andersen flicks on a right-wing corner by Christian Eriksen. 2-1 A cross from Antoine Griezmann is chested home by the irrepressible Mbappe. KYLIAN SHOWS KILLER INSTINCT France qualified for the knockout stages with a match to spare after victory in a tough, tight game. The speed, intelligence and goalscoring prowess of Kylian Mbappe was the difference. His pace tormented the Danish defence, and his second late goal was decisive. Denmark were much improved on their opening game and, after Andreas Christensen’s equaliser, they missed a big chance at 1-1 with sub Martin Braithwaite shaving the post with his shot. MATTER OF FACT Kylian Mbappe’s double meant he took his World Cup goals tally to seven by the age of 24,afigure that equals Pele’s record. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 3PM AUSTRALIA (0) 1 (Leckie 60) DENMARK (0) 0 Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah Att: 41,232 Ref: Ghorbal (Alg) AUSTRALIA Ryan; Degenek, Souttar, Rowles, Behich; Leckie (Hrustic 89), Mooy, Irvine, Goodwin (Baccus 46); McGree (Wright 74), Duke (Maclaren 82). ∆ Behich, Degenek DENMARK Schmeichel; Kristensen (Bah 46), Andersen, Christensen, Maehle (Cornelius 70); Jensen (Damsgaard 59), Hojbjerg, Eriksen; Skov Olsen (Skov 69), Lindstrom; Braithwaite (Dolberg 59). ∆ Skov GOALS 1-0 A swift counter-attack from a corner by Australia allows Mathew Leckie freedom to run at the Danish defence and score with a precise, low shot past Kasper Schmeichel. ORGANISED AUSSIES PROGRESS Australia’s excellent organisation, unceasing energy and robust defence fashioned a victory that clinched second place in the group. After a bright opening spell from Denmark, there was little doubt the Aussies would finish with smiles on their faces and the win they needed to progress. The goal was cleverly worked, and then Graham Arnold’s side held firm with ease. Denmark had entered the tournament with high optimism, but here they were timid, nervous and complacent. Even when the referee awarded them a penalty it was overturned because Kasper Dolberg had been offside when fouled. MATTER OF FACT Australia moved into the knockout stages for only the second time in their history after doing so at the 2006 tournament in Germany. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 3PM TUNISIA (0) 1 (Khazri 58) FRANCE (0) 0 Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan Att: 43,627 Ref: Conger (Nzl) TUNISIA Dahmen; Meriah, Ghandri, Talbi; Kechrida, Skhiri, Laidouni, Maaloul; Ben Slimane (Abdi 83), Ben Romdhane (Chaaleli 74); Khazri (Jebali 59). ∆ Kechrida FRANCE Mandanda; Disasi, Varane (Saliba 63), Konate, Camavinga; Fofana (Griezmann 73), Tchouameni, Veretout (Rabiot 63); Coman (Mbappe 63), Kolo Muani, Guendouzi (Dembele 79). GOALS 1-0 Tunisia’s captain Wahbi Khazri makes space for himself on the edge of the box and fires home a low shot for an historic strike. TUNISIA GO OUT ON A HIGH France fielded a second-string side and paid the price as they lost to an inspired Tunisian team who once again showed their spirit and quality. The win could have been by a wider margin, with defender Nader Ghandri having his first-half volley ruled out for offside. Victory was not quite enough for the North Africans to reach the knockout stages, but they left a bold impression. After two excellent wins, this wasaconcern for France, suggesting a lack of reserve strength at the disposal of head coach Didier Deschamps. Even when Kyllian Mbappe and the big guns arrived off the bench they could not change the outcome. A late strike by Antoine Griezmann was ruled out by VAR. MATTER OF FACT This was a first defeat for France at a World Cup tournament since losing1-0 to Germany in the 2014 quarter-finals – ten games ago. P W DLFA Pts FRANCE 3201636 AUSTRALIA 3201346 TUNISIA 3111114 DENMARK 3012131 Goal attempts ( on target) 21(7) 10(2) Corners 6 4 Fouls 4 9 Possession 48% 52% Goal attempts ( on target) 8(4) 13(3) Corners 2 6 Fouls 11 10 Possession 31% 69% Goal attempts ( on target) 5(3) 10(3) Corners 7 8 Fouls 14 6 Possession 34% 66% WORLD SOCCER 53 GROUP D Star of the show...Mbappe Wild celebrations... Leckie hits the winner Mobbed...team-mates bundle on Khazri

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1PM GERMANY (1) 1 (Gundogan 33 pen) JAPAN (0) 2 (Doan 75, Asano 83) Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan Att: 42,608 Ref: Barton (Slv) GERMANY Neuer; Sule, Rudiger, Schlotterbeck, Raum; Kimmich, Gundogan (Goretzka 67); Gnabry (Moukoko 90), Muller (Hofmann 67), Musiala (Gotze 79); Havertz (Fullkrug 79). JAPAN Gonda; Sakai (Minamino 74), Itakura, Yoshida, Nagatomo (Mitoma 57); Endo, Tanaka (Doan 71); J. Ito, Kamada, Kubo (Tomiyasu 46); Maeda (Asano 57). GOALS 1-0 Shuichi Gonda clumsily brings down David Raum, and Gundogan slots home the penalty. 1-1 Neuer pushes Minamino’s effort back into the red zone, and Ritsu Doan nets the rebound. 1-2 Takuma Asano wonderfully controls a high long ball, accelerates away from the defender and sensationally finishes from a tight angle. JAPANESE SUBS STUN GERMANS As pro-active and lively after the restart as they were tentative prior to the break, Japan came from behind to secure their first-ever win against Germany. The Nationalmannschaft were left stunned. For long spells, they were in control and had several chances to extend their lead. Japan boss Hajime Moriyasu has a reputation foraconservative approach, but he certainly was brave in his second-half personnel calls, with two of his substitutes, Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano, netting in the final15 minutes to sensationally turn the match on its head. MATTER OF FACT Germany substitute Youssoufa Moukoko became his country’s youngest-ever World Cup player aged18 years and three days. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 4PM SPAIN (3) 7 (Olmo 11, Asensio 21, F. Torres 31 pen, 54, Gavi 74, Soler 90, Morata 90+2) COSTA RICA (0) 0 Al Thumama Stadium, Doha Att: 40,013 Ref: Abdulla (UAE) SPAIN Simon; Azpilicueta, Rodri, Laporte, Alba (Balde 64); Gavi, Busquets (Koke 64), Pedri (Soler 57); F. Torres (Morata 57), Asensio (Williams 69), Olmo. COSTA RICA Navas; Martinez (Waston 46), Duarte, Calvo, Oviedo (Matarrita 82); Fuller, Borges (Aguilera 72), Tejeda, Bennette (Ruiz 61); Campbell, Contreras (Zamora 61). ∆ Calvo, Campbell GOALS 1-0 Dani Olmo swivels after latching on to a deflected Gavi pass and dinks it over Navas. 2-0 Asensio fires Alba’s cross home first time. 3-0 Ferran Torres scores a penalty “Jorginhostyle” after Oscar Duarte impedes Jordi Alba. 4-0 Torres gets his second goal after some hesistant defending in the Costa Rican area. 5-0 Gavi scores a virtuoso outside-of-thefoot volley from Alvaro Morata’s curled cross. 6-0 Soler follows in Navas’ weak palm out. 7-0 Morata finishes after a one-two with Olmo. LA ROJA RUN RIOT A brilliant Spanish XI had the ball on a string in this most one-sided of World Cup duels. From first to last, La Roja passed the hapless Ticos to death. Even if Costa Rica were abject – devoid of defensive discipline, ideas and conviction – this wasastunning statement of intent from Spain, whose movement, fluidity, speed of execution and cutting edge were of the highest order. Amidst the feast of attractive football served up, one highlight stood out - Gavi, just 18 years and110 days old, is now the youngest player to score at a World Cup since Pele in1958. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 10AM JAPAN (0) 0 COSTA RICA (0) 1 (Fuller 81) Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan Att: 41,479 Ref: Oliver (Eng) JAPAN Gonda; Yamane (Mitoma 62), Itakura, Yoshida, Nagatomo (H. Ito 46); Endo, Morita; Doan (J. Ito 67), Kamada, Soma (Minamino 82); Ueda (Asano 46). ∆ Yamane, Itakura, Endo COSTA RICA Navas; Fuller, Duarte, Waston, Calvo, Oviedo; Torres (Aguilera 65), Borges (Salas 89), Tejeda, Campbell (Chacon 90+5); Contreras (Bennette 65). ∆ Contreras, Borges, Calvo GOALS 0-1 Hidemasa Morita loses possession on the edge of Japan’s box. Yeltsin Tejeda finds Keysher Fuller, who lets fly with a left-footed curler aimed for the top corner. Shuichi Gonda seems to jump early and, though he gets a weak hand to it, he cannot prevent the shot reaching its destination. SMASH-AND-GRAB WIN FOR LOS TICOS Costa Rica spent virtually the whole game on the back foot before flooring the territorially dominant Japanese with a late sucker punch. Keen to make amends for their 7-0 thumping by Spain, they gaveamuch-improved defensive display against Japan. Talk about efficiency... Fuller’s goal was Costa Rica’s only shot on target in the entire match. Japan, fresh from their shock giantkilling of Germany, badly let themselves down, disjointed, short of final-third invention and woeful at attacking set-pieces. MATTER OF FACT This was Costa Rica’s first win at a World Cup in normal time since beating Italy in the group phase in 2014 –arun of eight games. GROUP E Goal attempts ( on target) 26(9) 12(4) Corners 6 6 Fouls 6 14 Possession 74% 26% Goal attempts ( on target) 17(8) 0(0) Corners 5 0 Fouls 8 12 Possession 82% 18% Goal attempts ( on target) 13(3) 4(1) Corners 5 0 Fouls 22 9 Possession 57% 43% WOR L D CU P 2 0 22: THE C O M P L E T E R E C OR D 54 WORLD SOCCER Dramatic finale ...Asano buries the winner Top technique... Gavi’s virtuoso finish Winner...Fuller scores from the edge of the box

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 7PM SPAIN (0) 1 (Morata 62) GERMANY (0) 1 (Fullkrug 83) Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor Att: 68,895 Ref: Makkelie (Ned) SPAIN Simon; Carvajal, Rodri, Laporte, Alba (Balde 82); Gavi (Williams 66), Busquets, Pedri; F. Torres (Morata 54), Asensio (Koke 66), Olmo. ∆ Busquets GERMANY Neuer; Kehrer (Klostermann 70), Sule, Rudiger, Raum (Schlotterbeck 87); Kimmich, Goretzka; Gnabry (Hofmann 85), Gundogan (Sane 70), Musiala; Muller (Fullkrug 70). ∆ Kehrer, Goretzka, Kimmich GOALS 1-0 Jordi Alba crosses low from the left flank and Alvaro Morata nips ahead of Niklas Sule to flick it home with the outside of his right foot. 1-1 Leroy Sane plays a through pass to Jamal Musiala, who spins, and Niclas Fullkrug takes over by hammering a rising shot past Simon. NUMBER NINES MAKE THEIR IMPACT Niclas Fullkrug, pigeon-holed as a journeyman striker, proved to be Germany’s saviour, coming off the bench to thump in the equaliser. Spain, who took the lead through another substitute, Alvaro Morata, were left to bemoan a lack of killer instinct, especially when Marco Asensio skied a great opportunity to make it 2-0. Full marks to the Germans for the character they showed, and the tone set by the mercurial teenage midfielder Jamal Musiala, whose quick feet, strength on the ball and elusive runs were a constant source of menace to the Spaniards. MATTER OF FACT Fullkrug, 29, who made his debut in a World Cup warm-up match, is the oldest outfield player to make his Germany bow for 20 years. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 7PM JAPAN (0) 2 (Doan 48, Tanaka 51) SPAIN (1) 1 (Morata 11) Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan Att: 44,851 Ref: Gomes (RSA) JAPAN Gonda; Itakura, Yoshida, Taniguchi; J. Ito, Tanaka (Endo 87), Morita, Nagatomo (Mitoma 46); Kubo (Doan 46), Maeda (Asano 62), Kamada (Tomiyasu 69). ∆ Itakura, Taniguchi, Yoshida SPAIN Simon; Azpilicueta (Carvajal 46), Rodri, P. Torres, Balde (Alba 68); Gavi (Fati 68), Busquets, Pedri; Williams (F. Torres 57), Morata (Asensio 57), Olmo. GOALS 0-1 Cesar Azpilicueta has time to deliver a cross and an unmarked Alvaro Morata heads in. 1-1 Following a fierce high press, Junya Ito forces a turnover deep in the Spanish half and the ball falls to substitute Ritsu Doan, who scores withapowerful left-footed drive. 2-1 Kaoru Mitoma hooks back Doan’s low cross and Ao Tanaka bundles the ball in. Had the ball crossed the by-line before Mitoma centred? Afteralengthy check, VAR deemed no. JAPAN REPEAT HISTORIC GIANTKILLING Eight days after coming from behind to beat Germany, Japan pulled off another remarkable rally to roar back and claim the scalp of muchfancied Spain. It looks as though Samurai Blue have settled on a highly-effective underdog gameplan: play timidly in the first half, lull the opposition into a false sense of security, freshen themselves up with clever substitutions, and then strike like a cobra to turn it all around. MATTER OF FACT Japan are only the third team in World Cup history (after Brazil in1938 and West Germany in1970) to be losing at half-time and mount a winning comeback twice at the same finals. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 7PM COSTA RICA (0) 2 (Tejeda 58, Neuer 70 og) GERMANY (1) 4 (Gnabry10, Havertz 73, 85, Fullkrug 89) Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor Att: 67,054 Ref: Frappart (Fra) COSTA RICA Navas; Fuller (Bennette 74), Waston, Duarte, Vargas, Oviedo (Contreras 90+3); Campbell, Borges, Tejeda (Wilson 90+3), Aguilera (Salas 46); Venegas (Matarrita 74). ∆ Duarte GERMANY Neuer; Kimmich, Sule (Ginter 90+3), Rudiger, Raum (Gotze 67); Goretzka (Klostermann 46), Gundogan (Fullkrug 55); Sane, Musiala, Gnabry; Muller (Havertz 66). GOALS 0-1 Raum crosses to the near post, where Gnabry guides a header into the far corner. 1-1 Neuer parries a Kendall Waston header and Yeltsin Tejeda picks up the pieces from close in. 2-1 In a melee following a free-kick, Juan Pablo Vargas pokes it home via a ricochet off Neuer. 2-2 Costa Rica fail to clear their lines, and Fullkrug flicks the ball to Havertz who converts. 2-3 From the right flank, Gnabry flashes a cross to the far post where Havertz taps in. 2-4 Sane chests it down for Fullkrug to fire in. GERMANY CRASH OUT IN GROUPS AGAIN On a night of high drama and constant shifts of narrative, Germany went through the gamut of emotions: total superiority when bossing the first half, complacently allowing Costa Rica to turn the tables, then fighting back to grab the three points late on. All to no avail. Japan’s defeat of Spain inflicted consecutive World Cup groupstage eliminations on the Nationalmannschaft. MATTER OF FACT After fourth official duties earlier in the finals, Stephanie Frappart became the first female to take charge of a game at the men’s World Cup. P W DLFA Pts JAPAN 3201436 SPAIN 3111934 GERMANY 3111654 COSTA RICA 31023 11 3 Goal attempts ( on target) 7(3) 11(4) Corners 6 5 Fouls 13 11 Possession 64% 36% Goal attempts ( on target) 6(3) 12(5) Corners 0 2 Fouls 9 6 Possession 18% 82% Goal attempts ( on target) 7(5) 32(11) Corners 1 14 Fouls 3 9 Possession 32% 68% WORLD SOCCER 55 GROUP E Mercurial...teenage talent Jamal Musiala Controversial... over the line or not? Bowing out ...Germany

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 10AM MOROCCO (0) 0 CROATIA (0) 0 Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor Att: 59,407 Ref: Rapallini (Arg) MOROCCO Bounou; Hakimi, Aguerd, Saiss, Mazraoui (Attiat Allah 60); Ounahi (Sabiri 82), Amrabat, Amallah; Ziyech, En-Nesyri (Hamdallah 82), Boufal (Ezzalzouli 65). ∆ Amrabat CROATIA Livakovic; Juranovic, Lovren, Gvardiol, Sosa; Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic (Majer 79); Vlasic (Pasalic 46), Kramaric (Livaja 71), Perisic (Orsic 90). ENGAGING BUT GOALLESS AFFAIR In their first-ever competitive meeting, 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia and the Atlas Lions of Morocco proved that goalless draws need not be dull, even if the outcome was never in doubt. Both sides lacked a cutting edge in the final third and excelled in obdurate and physical defending. Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou kept out Nikola Vlasic’s closerange attempt from Borna Sosa’s cross in the first half, while his Croatian counterpart Dominik Livakovic blocked Noussair Mazraoui’s header after the break. The intensity and pace of the match dropped in the second half but there were stillafew goalmouth scrambles, while the well-drilled Moroccans went close when right-back Achraf Hakimi stung the hands of Livakovic with the Croatia keeper punching away his speculative long-range free-kick. MATTER OF FACT Four Croatia players who played in the 2018 World Cup final defeat to France started this match – Marcelo Brozovic, Dejan Lovren, Ivan Perisic and captain Luka Modric. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 7PM BELGIUM (1) 1 (Batshuayi 44) CANADA (0) 0 Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan Att: 40,432 Ref: Sikazwe (Zam) BELGIUM Courtois; Dendoncker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen; Castagne, Tielemans (Onana 46), Witsel, Carrasco (Meunier 46); De Bruyne, E. Hazard (Trossard 62), Batshuayi (Openda 78). ∆ Carrasco, Meunier, Onana CANADA Borjan; Johnston, Vitoria, Miller; Laryea (Adekugbe 74), Hutchinson (Kone 58), Eustaquio (Osorio 81), Davies; Buchanan (Millar 81), Hoilett (Larin 58), David. ∆ Davies, Johnston GOALS 1-0 Against the run of play, Michy Batshuayi steals a yard on his marker following a long ball by Toby Alderweireld and nets a cool half-volley. DYNAMIC BUT PROFLIGATE CANADIANS Belgium had six players aged over 30 in their starting XI and the contrast with Canada was enormous, whose youngsters – as well as Richie Laryea’s high-tempo, helter-skelter running, quick transitions and pressing – had Belgium pinned back in their own half. But the Canadians failed to maintain that intensity after the break. Just three of Canada’s 22 attempts were on target. Their attack was too profligate to scare the world’s best goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who made a crucial save from Alphonso Davies’ weak first-half penalty. MATTER OF FACT Canada took their tally of World Cup games without scoring a goal to four, leaving China, Trinidad&Tobago and DR Congo (then known as Zaire in 1974) in their wake. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1PM BELGIUM (0) 0 MOROCCO (0) 2 (Saiss 73, Aboukhlal 90+2) Al Thumama Stadium, Doha Att: 43,738 Ref: Ramos (Mex) BELGIUM Courtois; Meunier (Lukaku 81), Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Castagne; Onana (Tielemans 60), Witsel; De Bruyne, E. Hazard (Mertens 60), T. Hazard (Trossard 75); Batshuayi (De Ketelaere 75). ∆ Onana MOROCCO Munir; Hakimi (Sabiri 67), Aguerd, Saiss, Mazraoui; Ounahi (El Yamiq 78), Amrabat, Amallah (Attiat Allah 67); Ziyech, En-Nesyri (Hamdallah 73), Boufal (Aboukhlal 73). ∆ Sabiri GOALS 0-1 Everybody expects a cross, but substitute Abdelhamid Sabiri whips his free-kick from a tight angle towards goal, where it glances off Romain Saiss and catches Courtois off guard. 0-2 Hakim Ziyech is the architect of Morocco’s second, swerving away from Timothy Castagne and teeing up Zakaria Aboukhlal, who cleverly guides it into the top corner at the near post. BELGIANS ON THE BRINK After riding their luck against Canada, Belgium produced an even more dire display, aided by an error from Thibaut Courtois. The usually reliable keeper was warned when he conceded straight from Ziyech’s wide free-kick – only to be saved by an offside VAR call–and Morocco repeated the trick in the second half. Walid Regragui made some inspired subs, with Sabiri and Aboukhlal integral in causing another World Cup upset. MATTER OF FACT This was Morocco’s first World Cup victory for 24 years. In1998, they defeated Scotland 3-0 but did not progress from the group stage. GROUP F Goal attempts ( on target) 8(2) 5(2) Corners 0 5 Fouls 16 11 Possession 35% 65% Goal attempts ( on target) 9(3) 22(3) Corners 4 4 Fouls 11 14 Possession 54% 46% Goal attempts ( on target) 10(3) 10(4) Corners 9 1 Fouls 10 14 Possession 67% 33% WOR L D CU P 2 0 22: THE C O M P L E T E R E C OR D 56 WORLD SOCCER Tight tussle... Vlasic and Boufal Crucial...Courtois saves Davies’ penalty Supersub...Aboukhlal seals the points

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 4PM CROATIA (2) 4 (Kramaric 36, 70, Livaja 44, Majer 90+4) CANADA (1) 1 (Davies 2) Khalifa International Stadium, Doha Att: 44,374 Ref: Matonte (Uru) CROATIA Livakovic; Juranovic, Lovren, Gvardiol, Sosa; Modric (Pasalic 86), Brozovic, Kovacic (Majer 86); Kramaric (Vlasic 73), Livaja (Petkovic 60), Perisic (Orsic 86). ∆ Lovren, Modric CANADA Borjan; Johnston, Vitoria, Miller, Laryea (Hoilett 62); Buchanan, Hutchinson (Adekugbe 74), Eustaquio (Kone 46), Davies; David (Cavallini 72), Larin (Osorio 46). ∆ Buchanan, Miller GOALS 0-1 Davies’ header from a Tajon Buchanan cross provides Canada with a dream start. 1-1 Following neat interplay on the left channel, Andrej Kramaric slots in from an acute angle. 2-1 A Josip Juranovic foray allows Marko Livaja to sweetly pick his spot from the edge of the box. 3-1 Kramaric strikes again, finding the bottom corner after some lax Canadian defending. 4-1 A horror show from Canada centre-back Kamal Miller allows Mislav Orsic and Lovro Majer to race away and complete the victory. CROATS OUTCLASS CANADA John Herdman’s team began on the front foot, but showed naivety as Croatia’s experience and cunning prevailed. A hard reality check for the Canadians, co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup. MATTER OF FACT Alphonso Davies’ header was Canada’s firstever World Cup goal. At the 1986 World Cup, Canada failed to score in a group containing France, Hungary and the Soviet Union. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 3PM CANADA (1) 1 (Aguerd 40 og) MOROCCO (2) 2 (Ziyech 4, En-Nesyri 23) Al Thumama Stadium, Doha Att: 43,102 Ref: Claus (Bra) CANADA Borjan; Johnston, Vitoria, Miller, Adekugbe (Kone 61); Davies, Osorio (Laryea 65), Kaye (Hutchinson 60), Buchanan; Hoilett (Wotherspoon 76); Larin (David 60). ∆ Hoilett, Osorio, Adekugbe, Vitoria MOROCCO Bounou; Hakimi (Jabrane 85), Aguerd, Saiss, Mazraoui; Ounahi (El Yamiq 77), Amrabat, Sabiri (Amallah 65); Ziyech (Hamdallah 76), En-Nesyri, Boufal (Aboukhlal 65). GOALS 0-1 Calamitous play by Milan Borjan gifts Hakim Ziyech a goal, who deftly chips the out-of-position goalkeeper from 30 yards. 0-2 An excellent strike by Youssef En-Nesyri, who scores running onto a speculative long ball down the right channel by Achraf Hakimi. 1-2 Nayef Aguerd scores the first own goal of the finals, deflecting a low Sam Adekugbe cross into his own net at the near post. MOROCCO REPEAT HEROICS OF1986 For only the second time, Morocco progressed to the knockout stages. They were improbable but deserved winners of Group F, and this win was the icing on the cake. In a close match, the North Africans were happy to sit back and soak up pressure after going ahead – and it almost cost them when Atiba Hutchinson’s second-half header hit the crossbar and came agonisingly close to crossing the goal-line on its way down. MATTER OF FACT In a repeat of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, Morocco topped their group, while Canada lost all three of their group-stage games. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 3PM CROATIA (0) 0 BELGIUM (0) 0 Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan Att: 43,984 Ref: Taylor (Eng) CROATIA Livakovic; Juranovic, Lovren, Gvardiol, Sosa; Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic (Majer 90+2); Kramaric (Pasalic 64), Livaja (Petkovic 64), Perisic. BELGIUM Courtois; Meunier (E. Hazard 87), Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Castagne; Dendoncker (Tielemans 72), Witsel; De Bruyne, Mertens (Lukaku 46), Carrasco (Doku 72); Trossard (T. Hazard 59). ∆ Dendoncker END OF BELGIUM’S GOLDEN GENERATION Belgium went from third at the World Cup in 2018 to third in their group in 2022, leaving a tarnished legacy for their golden generation. Their premature exit prompted Roberto Martinez to step down immediately in the aftermath of the defeat, six years after taking charge. Romelu Lukaku, clearly lacking match sharpness, was blamed for a series of misses in the second half, but at least he had shown determination and commitment, qualities lacking across the team amid rumours of fractures and bust-ups in the dressing room. In a largely forgettable game, Croatia had a penalty overturned by VAR due to an offside by the narrowest of margins in the first half, before a rearguard action from Zlatko Dalic’s side denied Belgium and Lukaku at the end. Centre-back Josko Gvardiol was in imperious form, making a match-saving interception to help seal his nation’s progress. MATTER OF FACT This is Belgium’s worst World Cup finish since1998, where they also departed in the group stage after lacklustre draws with Netherlands, South Korea and Mexico. P W DLFA Pts MOROCCO 3210417 CROATIA 3120415 BELGIUM 3111124 CANADA 3003270 Goal attempts ( on target) 13(10) 8(2) Corners 6 2 Fouls 13 5 Possession 48% 52% Goal attempts ( on target) 5(0) 6(2) Corners 6 2 Fouls 14 14 Possession 59% 41% Goal attempts ( on target) 11(4) 16(3) Corners 2 4 Fouls 7 9 Possession 48% 52% WORLD SOCCER 57 GROUP F Too strong... Livaja celebrates putting Croatia in front Are you watching?... En-Nesyri’s celebration Dejected...Lukaku is consoled by assistant coach Thierry Hernry

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 10AM SWITZERLAND (0) 1 (Embolo 48) CAMEROON (0) 0 Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah Att: 39,089 Ref: Tello (Arg) SWITZERLAND Sommer; Widmer, Akanji, Elvedi, Rodriguez (Comert 90); Freuler, Xhaka; Shaqiri (Okafor 72), Sow (Frei 72), Vargas (Rieder 81); Embolo (Seferovic 72). ∆ Elvedi, Akanji CAMEROON Onana; Fai, Castelletto, Nkoulou, Nouhou; Zambo Anguissa, Oum Gouet, Hongla (Ondoua 68); Mbeumo (Ngamaleu 81), ChoupoMoting (Aboubakar 74), Toko Ekambi (Nkoudou 74). ∆ Fai GOALS 1-0 A swift Swiss move carves Cameroon open and culminates in Breel Embolo clinically turning Xherdan Shaqiri’s cross past Andre Onana. EMBOLO BREAKS CAMEROONIAN HEARTS Both sides had periods of control in the first half, but Cameroon had the more promising openings with each of their front three getting a sight of goal. Despite this, defences remained on top going into the break with Manuel Akanji heading Switzerland’s best chance wide before half-time. The Swiss re-emerged for the second half transformed and took just three minutes to go ahead. They weren’t able to extend their lead though, as Andre Onana and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa made vital interventions to keep their side in the game. Jean-Charles Castelletto added another superb block to deny Haris Seferovic late on, but Cameroon couldn’t carve out a leveller. MATTER OF FACT Breel Embolo didn’t celebrate his goal having been born in the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 7PM BRAZIL (0) 2 (Richarlison 62, 73) SERBIA (0) 0 Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail Att: 88,103 Ref: Faghani (Irn) BRAZIL Alisson; Danilo, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Alex Sandro; Paqueta (Fred 75), Casemiro; Raphinha (Martinelli 87), Neymar (Antony 80), Vinicius Junior (Rodrygo 76); Richarlison (Jesus 79). SERBIA V. Milinkovic-Savic; Milenkovic, Veljkovic, Pavlovic; Zivkovic (Radonjic 57), Lukic (Lazovic 66), Gudelj (Ilic 57), Mladenovic (Vlahovic 66); Tadic, S. Milinkovic-Savic; A. Mitrovic (Maksimovic 83). ∆ Pavlovic, Gudelj, Lukic GOALS 1-0 Richarlison is quickest to react when Vanja Milinkovic-Savic saves Vinicius Junior’s shot, and pokes the ball home from close range. 2-0 An astounding acrobatic effort from Richarlison leaves Milinkovic-Savic helpless. RICHARLISON BRACE BEATS SERBIA Supporters in Lusail had to wait over an hour for their samba party, as Serbia disrupted the game’s rhythm by standing toe-to-toe with the Brazilians. There were flashes of brilliance from A Selecao, although Vanja Milinkovic-Savic beat Vinicius Junior to Thiago Silva’s defence-splitting pass, while a scintillating move ended in a tame Raphinha shot. Even when Nikola Milenkovic messed up his clearance, the big centre-back recovered to deny Vinicius Junior. In the second period, after Alex Sandro’s long-range effort smashed the post, Richarlison struck twice to put Brazil in a strong position, allowing Tite’s substitutes to come on and express themselves. MATTER OF FACT Brazil haven’t lost their opening game at the World Cup since doing so against Yugoslavia and Spain in1930 and 1934 respectively. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 10AM CAMEROON (1) 3 (Castelletto 29, Aboubakar 63, Choupo-Moting 66) SERBIA (2) 3 (Pavlovic 45+1, S. Milinkovic-Savic 45+3, A. Mitrovic 53) Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah Att: 39,789 Ref: Abdulla (UAE) CAMEROON Epassy; Fai, Castelletto, Nkoulou, Nouhou; Zambo Anguissa (Oum Gouet 81), Hongla (Aboubakar 55), Kunde (Ondoua 67); Mbeumo (Nkoudou 81), Choupo-Moting, Toko Ekambi (Bassogog 67). ∆ Nkoulou, Bassogog SERBIA V. Milinkovic-Savic; Milenkovic, Veljkovic (Babic 78), Pavlovic (S. Mitrovic 56); Zivkovic (Radonjic 78), Maksimovic, Lukic, Kostic (Djuricic 90+1); Tadic, S. Milinkovic-Savic (Grujic 79); A. Mitrovic. ∆ Jovic, Milenkovic GOALS 1-0 Jean-Charles Castelletto sneaks in at the back post to convert Pierre Kunde’s corner. 1-1 Strahinja Pavlovic’s header from Dusan Tadic’s floated free-kick finds the far corner. 1-2 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic links up with Andrija Zivkovic before striking from the edge of the box. 1-3 A sweeping Serbian move culminates in a simple finish for Aleksandar Mitrovic. 2-3 Vincent Aboubakar beats the offside trap and audaciously scoops the ball over the goalie. 3-3 Sub Aboubakar gets through again and selflessly tees up Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting. SIX-GOAL THRILLER ENDS ALL SQUARE Andre Onana’s omission from Cameroon’s squad was the big pre-match story and Aleksandar Mitrovic will be frustrated not to have beaten his replacement, Devis Epassy, more than once. After Serbia came from behind to lead, Vincent Aboubakar emerged from the bench to inspire Cameroon to a vital draw in a remarkable match. MATTER OF FACT Cameroon ended a run of eight consecutive defeats at World Cup finals with this result. GROUP G Goal attempts ( on target) 7(3) 8(5) Corners 11 5 Fouls 12 10 Possession 51% 49% Goal attempts ( on target) 22(8) 5(0) Corners 6 4 Fouls 7 14 Possession 59% 41% Goal attempts ( on target) 13(8) 15(5) Corners 4 3 Fouls 8 13 Possession 41% 59% WOR L D CU P 2 0 22: THE C O M P L E T E R E C OR D 58 WORLD SOCCER Respect... Embolo chose not to celebrate his winning goal Acrobatic finish... Richarlison’s worldie Audacious ...Aboubakar’s scooped lob

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 4PM BRAZIL (0) 1 (Casemiro 83) SWITZERLAND (0) 0 Stadium 974, Doha Att: 43,649 Ref: Barton (Slv) BRAZIL Alisson; Militao, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Alex Sandro (Alex Telles 86); Fred (Bruno Guimaraes 58), Casemiro, Paqueta (Rodrygo 46); Raphinha (Antony 73), Richarlison (Jesus 73), Vinicius Junior. ∆ Fred SWITZERLAND Sommer; Widmer (Frei 86), Akanji, Elvedi, Rodriguez; Freuler, Xhaka; Rieder (Steffen 59), Sow (Aebischer 76), Vargas (Fernandes 59); Embolo (Seferovic 76). ∆ Rieder GOALS 1-0 After some lovely build-up play, Casemiro hits a strike that takes the slightest flick off Manuel Akanji and flies past Yann Sommer. CASEMIRO SINKS SWITZERLAND The void left by Brazil’s injured talisman Neymar was evident during a slow first half in which even the stadium lights dimmed early. Tite’s men struggled to break down an organised Swiss side and while Raphinha tried to step up, the winger’s cross was met with a tame Vinicius Junior shot before Yann Sommer comfortably saved his ambitious effort. After the interval, Vinicius Junior thought he’d opened the scoring when he skipped past Nico Elvedi and slid his shot into the bottom corner, but Richarlison had been caught offside in the build-up. Just when it looked like Switzerland would hold out, Casemiro took charge to fire in the winner. MATTER OF FACT Having not scored in his first 34 Brazil games, this was Casemiro’s sixth goal in the following 33. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 7PM CAMEROON (0) 1 (Aboubakar 90+2) BRAZIL (0) 0 Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail Att: 85,986 Ref: Elfath (USA) CAMEROON Epassy; Fai, Wooh, Ebosse, Nouhou; Kunde (Ntcham 68), Zambo Anguissa; Mbeumo (Toko Ekambi 64), Choupo-Moting, Ngamaleu (Ngom 86); Aboubakar. ∆ Nouhou, Kunde, Fai, Aboubakar ∆ Aboubakar BRAZIL Ederson; Dani Alves, Militao, Bremer, Alex Telles (Marquinhos 54); Fred (Bruno Guimaraes 55), Fabinho; Antony (Raphinha 79), Rodrygo (Everton Ribeiro 55), Martinelli; Jesus (Pedro 64). ∆ Militao, Bruno Guimaraes GOALS 1-0 Aboubakar peels off Bremer’s shoulder to head Jerome Ngom’s pinpoint cross past Ederson. FIRST AFRICAN WIN VERSUS BRAZIL AT WC Brazil boss Tite made nine changes with Antony and Gabriel Martinelli the two who tried to make things happen. Cameroon showed determination in their defending, although that tipped over to desperation at times. Devis Epassy’s saves were unorthodox on occasions but kept Brazil out, while the Indomitable Lions showed a threat of their own through Bryan Mbeumo and Vincent Aboubakar’s efforts either side of half-time. After Epassy denied Martinelli and Eder Militao, Christopher Wooh got across to ensure Bruno Guimaraes didn’t get a clear shot on goal from Raphinha’s cut-back. All of that defending paid off as Aboubakar headed in a late winner, a moment more than worth the second yellow for his celebration as Cameroon held on. MATTER OF FACT Dani Alves became Brazil’s oldest-ever captain at a World Cup aged 39 years and 210 days. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 7PM SERBIA (2) 2 (A. Mitrovic 26, Vlahovic 35) SWITZERLAND (2) 3 (Shaqiri 20, Embolo 44, Freuler 48) Stadium 974, Doha Att: 41,378 Ref: Rapallini (Arg) SERBIA V. Milinkovic-Savic; Milenkovic, Veljkovic (Gudelj 55), Pavlovic; Zivkovic (Radonjic 78), Lukic, S. Milinkovic-Savic (Maksimovic 68), Kostic; Tadic (Djuricic 78); Vlahovic (Jovic 55), A. Mitrovic. ∆ S. Milinkovic-Savic, Pavlovic, Rajkovic, Gudelj, A. Mitrovic, Milenkovic, Lukic SWITZERLAND Kobel; Widmer, Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez; Freuler, Xhaka; Shaqiri (Zakaria 69), Sow (Fernandes 68), Vargas (Fassnacht 83); Embolo (Okafor 90+6). ∆ Widmer, Vargas, Xhaka, Schar GOALS 0-1 Djibril Sow selflessly tees up Xherdan Shaqiri, who fires home into the bottom corner. 1-1 Aleksandar Mitrovic expertly glances Dusan Tadic’s cross inside the far post. 2-1 Tadic slips through Dusan Vlahovic, who beats Gregor Kobel with a finish across his body. 2-2 A move started by Shaqiri culminates in Embolo tapping home Silvan Widmer’s low cross. 2-3 An exquisite Shaqiri dink and Ruben Vargas flick is matched by Remo Freuler’s clinical finish. SWITZERLAND WIN FIERY CONTEST Both teams showed intent from the start and had each enjoyed the feeling of going ahead by the 35th minute. Switzerland took control with a goal either side of half-time, which left Serbia visibly frustrated and approaching boiling point on multiple occasions. Switzerland were resolute when required, managing to maintain their lead despite Christian Fassnacht wasting a late chance. MATTER OF FACT The Serbians haven’t made it out of the group stage in any of their last four World Cups. P W DLFA Pts BRAZIL 3201316 SWITZERLAND 3201436 CAMEROON 3111444 SERBIA 3012581 Goal attempts ( on target) 13(5) 6(0) Corners 8 3 Fouls 10 17 Possession 54% 46% Goal attempts ( on target) 7(3) 21(7) Corners 3 11 Fouls 14 14 Possession 35% 65% Goal attempts ( on target) 12(4) 14(7) Corners 2 0 Fouls 18 14 Possession 54% 46% WORLD SOCCER 59 GROUP G Disallowed...Vinicius Junior’s goal was chalked off Marching orders... match-winner Vincent Aboubakar sees red Heated...emotions boiling over

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1PM URUGUAY (0) 0 SOUTH KOREA (0) 0 Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan Att: 41,663 Ref: Turpin (Fra) URUGUAY Rochet; Caceres, Godin, Gimenez, Olivera (Vina 79); Valverde, Bentancur, Vecino (De la Cruz 78); Pellistri (Varela 88), Suarez (Cavani 64), Nunez. ∆ Caceres SOUTH KOREA Kim Seung-gyu; Kim Moon-hwan, Kim Min-jae, Kim Young-gwon, Kim Jin-su; Hwang In-beom, Jung Woo-young; Na Sang-ho (Lee Kang-in 75), Lee Jae-sung (Son Jun-ho 75), Son Heung-min; Hwang Ui-jo (Cho Gue-sung 75). ∆ Cho Gue-sung KOREA AND URUGUAY ENDS IN STALEMATE Underdogs South Korea asserted themselves in the early stages with Na Sang-ho looking bright down the right. Having helped repel the Asian outfit’s advances, Jose Maria Gimenez took a key role in moving Uruguay forward, playing sweeping passes that found Federico Valverde and Facundo Pellistri in dangerous positions. The teams had one big chance apiece before the break, but Hwang Ui-jo skied his effort before Diego Godin’s header struck the post. While the Taeguk Warriors offered little in attack for large periods after the break, they showed defensive discipline to limit Uruguay. There was a scare when Kim Min-jae’s slip allowed Darwin Nunez in behind, but Kim Seung-gyu held his pull-back. The best chances came late as Cho Gue-sung pulled his effort wide, Valverde’s thunderbolt hit the post, then Son Heung-min fired wide. MATTER OF FACT This was only Facundo Pellistri’s second competitive match against senior opposition this season, following Manchester United U21s’ 2-1 EFL Trophy win against Barrow. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 4PM PORTUGAL (0) 3 (Ronaldo 65 pen, Joao Felix 78, Leao 80) GHANA (0) 2 (A. Ayew 73, Bukari 89) Stadium 974, Doha Att: 42,662 Ref: Elfath (USA) PORTUGAL Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Danilo, Guerreiro; Bernardo Silva (Palhinha 88), Neves (Leao 77), Otavio (William 56); Fernandes, Ronaldo (Ramos 88), Joao Felix (Mario 88). ∆ Danilo, Fernandes GHANA Ati-Zigi; Seidu (Lamptey 66), Amartey, Djiku (Kyereh 90+2), Salisu, Baba Rahman; Partey, Abdul-Samed (Semenyo 90+2), Kudus (Bukari 77); A. Ayew (J. Ayew 77), Williams. ∆ Kudus, A. Ayew, Seidu, Williams GOALS 1-0 Cristiano Ronaldo decisively scores after winning a penalty from Mohammed Salisu. 1-1 Mohammed Kudus’ fizzed cross squeezes through Danilo’s legs for Andre Ayew to turn in. 2-1 Bruno Fernandes finds Joao Felix, who races through and dinks the ball past Ati-Zigi. 3-1 Rafael Leao makes a lung-bursting run and applies the perfect finish to Fernandes’ pass. 3-2 Abdul Baba Rahman beats Joao Cancelo and crosses for Osman Bukari to head home. PORTUGAL WIN AFTER LATE DRAMA This match came to life in the 65th minute when Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot. Ghana responded just eight minutes later but Otto Addo’s decision to take off the pair that had linked up for their goal was swiftly followed by two clinical Portuguese finishes. Sub Osman Bukari gave the Black Stars hope and Diogo Costa bizarrely almost cost his team the win when he didn’t spot Inaki Williams behind him, only for the striker to slip while stealing the ball. MATTER OF FACT Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty saw him become the first man to score in five World Cups. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1PM SOUTH KOREA (0) 2 (Cho Gue-sung 58, 61) GHANA (2) 3 (Salisu 24, Kudus 34, 68) Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan Att: 43,983 Ref: Taylor (Eng) SOUTH KOREA Kim Seung-gyu; Kim Moon-hwan, Kim Min-jae (Kwon Kyung-won 90+2), Kim Younggwon, Kim Jin-su; Hwang In-beom, Jung Woo-young (Hwang Ui-jo 79); Kwon Chang-hoon (Lee Kang-in 57), Jeong Woo-yeong (Na Sang-ho 46), Son Heung-min; Cho Gue-sung. ∆ Jung Woo-young, Kim Young-gwon GHANA Ati-Zigi; Lamptey (Odoi 78), Amartey, Salisu, Mensah (Baba Rahman 88); Partey, Abdul-Samed; Kudus (Djiku 83), A. Ayew (Kyereh 78), J. Ayew (Kamaldeen 78); Williams. ∆ Amartey, Lamptey GOALS 0-1 Korea fail to clear a Ghana free-kick and Mohammed Salisu reacts quickest to fire home. 0-2 Mohammed Kudus gets the slightest of touches on Jordan Ayew’s exquisite cross. 1-2 Lee Kang-in wins the ball and delivers the cross that Cho Gue-sung stoops low to head in. 2-2 Cho climbs above Gideon Mensah to meet Kim Jin-su’s cross and beats Lawrence Ati-Zigi with a powerful flying header for his second. 2-3 Inaki Williams misses his kick but Kudus meets Mensah’s cross to finish clinically. KUDUS FIRES GHANA TO GLORY Having held strong to overcome South Korea’s early pressure, Ghana opened the scoring and used that as a springboard to stamp their authority in the first half, adding a second. After seeing one header saved, Cho Gue-sung then scored two in three minutes to level the game. Not to be denied, Ghana struck again and valiantly saw out the win as Salisu cleared Kim Jin-su’s attempt off the line and Lawrence Ati-Zigi made some eye-catching saves. GROUP H Goal attempts ( on target) 10(1) 7(0) Corners 4 3 Fouls 7 10 Possession 56% 44% Goal attempts ( on target) 11(5) 9(3) Corners 3 3 Fouls 14 19 Possession 62% 38% Goal attempts ( on target) 22(7) 7(3) Corners 13 5 Fouls 13 9 Possession 63% 37% WOR L D CU P 2 0 22: THE C O M P L E T E R E C OR D 60 WORLD SOCCER Passion...Valverde celebrates a tackle Slip...Inaki Williams almost embarrasses Diogo Costa late on Seeing red...South Korea coach Paulo Bento is sent off

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 7PM PORTUGAL (0) 2 (Fernandes 54, 90+3 pen) URUGUAY (0) 0 Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail Att: 88,668 Ref: Faghani (Irn) PORTUGAL Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Pepe, Mendes (Guerreiro 42); Neves (Leao 69), Bernardo Silva, William (Palhinha 82); Fernandes, Ronaldo (Ramos 82), Joao Felix (Matheus Nunes 82). ∆ Neves, Joao Felix, Dias URUGUAY Rochet; Varela, Gimenez, Godin (Pellistri 62), Coates, Olivera (Vina 86); Valverde, Bentancur, Vecino (De Arrascaeta 62); Cavani (Suarez 73), Nunez (Gomez 72). ∆ Bentancur, Olivera GOALS 1-0 Bruno Fernandes’ cross narrowly evades Ronaldo’s header and floats inside the far post. 2-0 After his touch hits Jose Maria Gimenez’s hand as he fell to the ground, Fernandes sends Sergio Rochet the wrong way with his penalty. FERNANDES LEADS PORTUGAL THROUGH In a game between two sides with a pragmatic approach, Rodrigo Bentancur was the only player to break past the opposition back line in the first half. He drove through the middle before dancing past Ruben Dias and William Carvalho, eventually being halted by Diogo Costa’s save. Bruno Fernandes gave Portugal the advantage just nine minutes after the restart – with questions following about whether it was Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal – forcing Diego Alonso into substitutions that brought added attacking impetus for Uruguay. However, Maxi Gomez rattled the post, Luis Suarez hit the side netting and Giorgian de Arrascaeta’s dinked attempt was saved before Fernandes doubled Portugal’s lead with a harshly-awarded spot-kick. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 3PM SOUTH KOREA (1) 2 (Kim Young-gwon 27, Hwang Hee-chan 90+1) PORTUGAL (1) 1 (Horta 5) Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan Att: 44,097 Ref: Tello (Arg) SOUTH KOREA Kim Seung-gyu; Kim Moon-hwan, Kwon Kyung-won, Kim Young-gwon (Son Jun-ho 81), Kim Jin-su; Hwang In-beom, Jung Woo-young, Lee Kang-in (Hwang Ui-jo 81); Lee Jae-sung (Hwang Hee-chan 66), Cho Gue-sung, (Cho Yu-min 90+3) Son Heung-min. ∆ Lee Kang-in, Hwang Hee-chan PORTUGAL Costa; Dalot, Pepe, Antonio Silva, Cancelo; Matheus Nunes (Palhinha 65), Neves (Leao 65), Vitinha (Bernardo Silva 81); Horta, Ronaldo (Andre Silva 65), Mario (William 82). GOALS 0-1 Pepe’s sweeping pass releases Diogo Dalot, who beats Kim Jin-su with ease and cuts the ball back for Ricardo Horta to finish. 1-1 A corner hits Ronaldo’s back, and Kim Young-gwon steers the ball past Diogo Costa. 2-1 Son Heung-min leads a counter, and slips the ball through to Hwang Hee-chan to score. HEROIC HWANG IS KOREA’S SAVIOUR South Korea had to win but got off to the worst possible start, conceding early on. The Taeguk Warriors responded well, continuing to push on even after Kim Jin-su saw his goal ruled out for offside. Their reward eventually came before the half-hour mark, and they never lost hope that a winner would arrive in the second half with their fans and players being brought to tears by Hwang Hee-chan’s stoppage-time winner. MATTER OF FACT South Korea had to wait ten minutes for confirmation that they’d made it through. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 3PM GHANA (0) 0 URUGUAY (2) 2 (De Arrascaeta 26, 32) Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah Att: 43,443 Ref: Siebert (Ger) GHANA Ati-Zigi; Seidu, Amartey, Salisu, Baba Rahman; Partey, Abdul-Samed (Kyereh 72); Williams (Semenyo 72), A. Ayew (Bukari 46), J. Ayew (Kamaldeen 46); Kudus (Fatawu Issahaku 90+8). ∆ Kamaldeen, Seidu URUGUAY Rochet; Varela, Gimenez, Coates, Olivera; Pellistri (De la Cruz 66), Valverde, Bentancur (Vecino 34), De Arrascaeta (Gomez 80); Suarez (Cavani 66), Nunez (Canobbio 80). ∆ Nunez, Suarez, Coates, Gimenez, Cavani GOALS 0-1 De Arrascaeta heads in from inches out after Ati-Zigi saves Luis Suarez’s initial effort. 0-2 A sequence of slick one-touch passes culminates in De Arrascaeta smashing a beautifully controlled volley past Ati-Zigi. URUGUAY AND GHANA DUMPED OUT After his handball in 2010, Luis Suarez further stoked Ghana’s desire for revenge by saying: “It wasn’t my fault because I didn’t miss the penalty”. However, in the worst case of history repeating itself, Andre Ayew failed to convert from the spot after Sergio Rochet caught Mohammed Kudus. Things got worse as Suarez was involved in both of Giorgian de Arrascaeta’s goals, but the game eventually ended in heartbreak for both teams. Suarez was left in tears, before La Celeste players surrounded the referee following the final whistle feeling they were wrongly denied a penalty. MATTER OF FACT This was the fourth time in14 WC appearances that Uruguay haven’t reached the knockouts. P W DLFA Pts PORTUGAL 3201646 SOUTH KOREA 3111444 URUGUAY 3111224 GHANA 3102573 Goal attempts ( on target) 15(3) 11(3) Corners 6 2 Fouls 10 16 Possession 60% 40% Goal attempts ( on target) 13(6) 13(6) Corners 5 4 Fouls 9 10 Possession 38% 62% Goal attempts ( on target) 10(4) 12(7) Corners 5 2 Fouls 18 11 Possession 51% 49% WORLD SOCCER 61 GROUP H Inches away...Ronaldo attempts to glance home a header National hero... Hwang Hee-chan No penalty...the decision that sparked Uruguayan fury

WOR L D CU P 2 0 22: THE C O M P L E T E R E C OR D World Cup breakout stars Danny Lewis picks out the players who made a name for themselves in Qatar Noppert’s route to Qatar is remarkable. Having gone through Heerenveen’s youth system but not made the first team, he was given a tough introduction to senior football at NAC Breda, serving four years as a back-up, before joining Italian side Foggia and suffering relegation down to Serie D. An injury-hit spell back home at second-tier Dordrecht culminated in him being without a club for six months, resulting in family doubts over his career and thoughts of working for the police. Eventually though he found his club in Go Ahead Eagles, before going full circle to re-join Heerenveen. At 28 years old, Noppert received his first Netherlands call-up with fewer than 50 career appearances to his name, making his debut in the World Cup opener, keeping two clean sheets and making a vital save to deny Christian Pulisic in the last 16. Azzedine OUNAHI MOROCCO During the 2020-21 campaign, Azzedine Ounahi was playing his football in the French third tier with Avranches after not being offered a professional contract by Strasbourg. His impressive displays saw him jump up to Ligue1 outfit Angers in 2021, with appearances at an Africa Cup of Nations and now the World Cup following. After helping to fire Morocco to the World Cup finals with two Andries NOPPERT NETHERLANDS goals against DR Congo in the play-offs, the midfielder thrived in Qatar, starting every game as the Atlas Lions made history as Africa’s greatest-ever World Cup side. Ounahi has caught the eye with his ability and composure on the ball, with Luis Enrique left in awe after Morocco beat Spain on penalties, asking: “Oh my God, where does this guy come from? [He] plays incredibly well.” 62 WORLD SOCCER 1 2

SIX OF THE BEST Jude BELLINGHAM ENGLAND Goncalo RAMOS PORTUGAL Fernando Santos’ decision to leave out Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal’s most capped player and record goalscorer, against Switzerland was a massive one. Adding to that, Ramos was making his first start for A Selecao, having made two cameo substitute appearances in the group stage. But the decision was vindicated. The 21-year-old striker smashed in the opener, grabbed an instinctive second and completed his hat-trick by luring in Yann Sommer before dinking the ball past him. There was even time among all of that goalscoring to get an assist, sliding the ball through for Raphael Guerreiro. Morocco’s defence expertly kept Ramos and Portugal out, but that Switzerland match offered the nation a glimpse of their possible future in attack. It may seem strange to include a player with the world’s biggest clubs queuing up to sign him in a list of “breakout stars”, yet Bellingham’s displays demonstrated that he is playing with a level of maturity and control far beyond his years. Before this year’s UEFA Nations League campaign, his only competitive England starts came against Andorra and San Marino, yet the 19-year-old was let loose in Qatar. After scoring his first England goal in the opener verus Iran, he continued to put in impressive displays throughout the finals, playing a key role in two goals against Senegal before displaying his leadership potential in defeat to France. Unquestionably a future Three Lions captain. WORLD SOCCER 63 Despite Ghana’s World Cup coming to a heartbreaking end against Uruguay as they finished bottom of Group H, Kudus was one of the African talents that lit up the finals. Throughout Ghana’s three games, the attacking midfielder gave them hope with his bravery on the ball and ability to make things happen, leading the failed comeback versus Portugal by setting up Andre Ayew Mohammed KUDUS 3 GHANA Niclas FULLKRUG GERMANY While Germany endured a bitterly disappointing World Cup, Fullkrug can take positives from his time in Qatar. The striker was playing in the second tier last season but, having fired Werder Bremen to promotion and continued to score in the Bundesliga, the 29-year-old was rewarded with a call-up by Hansi Flick. A goal followed in a 1-0 4 5 6 to level the scores at1-1. Having already scored ten goals for Ajax this season, Kudus showed his clinical edge against South Korea, getting the slightest of glances on Jordan Ayew’s cross, then beating Kim Seung-gyu with a first-time finish inside the penalty box. Even during the defeat against Uruguay, his quick-thinking won the penalty that Andre Ayew failed to convert. pre-tournament win versus Oman, before Fullkrug’s sub appearances ensured Germany’s tournament was less humiliating than it could have been amid various questions about whether Flick had a true No.9 at his disposal. After lashing home the equaliser against Spain, he flicked the ball to set up Kai Havertz before grabbing another goal of his own in the futile victory against Costa Rica.

Jonathan Wilson reports Just by the stadium where the World Cup final was played, there runs a broad shopping street, the Lusail Boulevard, which claims to be the Champs Elysees of the Middle East. It’s an odd mix of high-end shops, a Sainsbury’s, and some pretty grimlooking American fast-food chains. It’s outside but air-conditioned, as so much of Qatar is. Over the past month it has been covered in World Cup branding; flags from the competing nations hung from the lampposts; the World Cup anthem dribbled out of speakers; huge adverts featuring the likes of Neymar and Lionel Messi. But what there was not was any football, or any fans. On the day Argentina played Mexico in Lusail, I headed up from Doha early, thinking I’d be able to watch Poland v Saudi Arabia somewhere nearby. But there was no big screen. There were no cafes or bars showing games. Most didn’t even have TVs. I headed to the mall modelled on the Place Vendome, in Paris. Nothing there either. Nor on the Lusail Corniche. There were places where you could pose for Instagram photos alongside the words “Qatar 2022”. But there was no football and so there were no fans. Having missed most of the first half, I eventually found a screen at the Arabian Nights fan park by the Katara Hotel, that huge gleaming monstrosity supposedly shaped like the claws of a crab. For 20 riyals it was possible to access a long, narrow strip with plenty of screens. There were chicken kebabs and fried potatoes. A hooded falcon sat on a plinth near the centre. Arriving late, all the seats were taken, so I found myself wedged between a candyfloss machine and a cage in which three goats tried to ignore the children seeking to provoke them. There was, at least, a sense of atmosphere, a local(ish) crowd noisily supporting Saudi Arabia, but this was clearly a deeply ersatz experience. This wasn’t where people in Doha habitually watched football. And that was the sense throughout. Football appeared to be an afterthought. There were the trappings of the World Cup, but it was as though nobody in authority quite knew what a World Cup was. This is not specifically a Qatari phenomenon. FIFA is a world of fakery. The move to stadium DJs and MCs whipping up the crowd was well underway long before we got to Doha, but it was here that it reached its full expression. Stadiums before kick-off became a sinkhole of inanity because, while FIFA and Qatar welcomed the fans, they were terrified about what they might do or say if their own songs and chants were permitted to be heard. Very little thought seemed to be given to crowds. This is not the fault of the thousands of volunteers who were good-humoured and helpful, or really of the Metro system, which in many ways was a triumph. But it didn’t reach Al Bayt, the stadium in the desert 30 miles north of Doha. So fans either had to travel by taxi or take shuttle buses along vast four-lane highways, negotiating a maze of car parks. Of course it’s never easy when there are 80,000 eyewitness QATAR ‘Nothing could be trusted. Nothing was real’ A report from inside Doha on life away from the pitch during the 2022 World Cup 64 WORLD SOCCER

WORLD SOCCER RLD SOCCER 65 Lusail Boulevard...the “Champs Elysees of the Middle East”

eyewitness fans to clear from a stadium, as was the case at Lusail. The queuing system at the Metro there worked relatively well. But there was a problem heading to the stadium, which was that the majority of fans changing onto the red line north had to change at Msheireb, where they ran into supporters making their way to the fan park on the Corniche near Al Bidda. The day of Argentina’s quarter-final win over the Netherlands, several hours before kick-off, the station at Msheireb became so dangerously overcrowded that passengers getting to the bottom of the escalator were unable to get off. Perhaps the argument would be that Qatar has no experience of hosting such vast numbers of people, which is true; but that’s yet another reason why it should never have hosted the World Cup. Propaganda for the local organisers were everywhere. There was a spate of news stories explaining how this had been a great, family-friendly World Cup because there was no alcohol available. Which rather neglected the great, family-friendly World Cups of Russia, Brazil, South Africa, Germany, and Japan and South Korea. Alcohol is not the issue. Those stories rapidly vanished after clashes between Morocco fans and security before the quarter-final against Portugal, seemingly caused by the presence of fans without tickets. But how many fans were ever at games? Attendance figures rarely seemed to make sense. Afterafew days in which the attendance habitually outstripped the capacity of the stadium, FIFA hastily explained capacities had expanded because fewer media and corporate seats were needed than had initially been expected. But then there were claims of sell-outs when thousands of seats were clearly empty. Nothing could be trusted. Nothing was real. As Qatar lost the opening game against Ecuador with embarrassing ease, thousands of local supporters went home long before the final whistle. But one small section of the stadium remained full, with maroon-clad fans that carried on chanting for Qatar. Here, then, was the local football culture we had been promised. But no, it turned out they had, according to the New York Times, been shipped in from Lebanon to provide colour and atmosphere. The Aspire Academy set up its Football Dreams programme in 2007 and for seven years scouted more than 3.5 million boys aged 12 or 13 from developing nations (most with a handy ExCo member) offering 20 Aspire 66 WORLD SOCCER ABOVE: Empty seats…a bird’seye view of Qatar fans during their defeat to Ecuador Overcrowded… inside Msheireb Metro Station It was as though nobody in authority quite knew what a World Cup was

scholarships a year, the highest-level football coaching in Qatar. But the programme was closed down in 2014 for reasons that have never really been explained. Aspire graduates formed the basis of the Qatar national side at this tournament, but where else would they train? What was all that investment for? The worst-ever performance by a host? As well as a fake Place Vendome there is a fake Venice, a fake Beverly Hills and a Winter Wonderland. Everything is fake. Which is perhaps what happens when you build a country in just a couple of decades. You copy elsewhere and the result is artificiality. You go too fast and your exploitation of the world’s poor becomes obvious. Almost all wealthy nations import workers from economically weaker countries to do the jobs nobody wants to do; what they don’t do is house them in giant labour camps on a pittance that is often paid late, if at all, having taken away their passports. Safety standards are drawn up and applied and, should an accident happen andaworker die, there is a full investigation. That, manifestly, has not been happening in Qatar. All the misinformation about safety on the building sites – the ludicrous claims of only three deaths on specific World Cup projects was suddenly upgraded to “between 400 and 500” by the tournament’s chief organiser, Hassan Al Thawadi, during an interview in November – was laid bare when a Filipino worker fell to his death from a ramp while walking alongside a forklift mending lights at the resort where the Saudi Arabia team had been based. “We’re having a successful World Cup and this is something you want to talk about right now?” said Nasser Al Khater, head of Qatar’s World Cup organising committee. “Death is a natural part of life, whether at work, whether in your sleep. A worker QATAR died, our condolences to his family, but it is strange that is something you want to focus on as your first question.” Nothing could have better expressed the callousness of the authorities, of Qatari society, for the lives of the migrant workers. Plenty of visitors spoke of the warmth of the welcome they had received, how pleasant everything seemed. Which is true. For the wealthy – and the majority of European visitors are comparatively wealthy – life in Qatar is good. There are plenty as well who come from Kenya or Nepal, Ghana or Bangladesh and find their standard of living significantly improved. But there are many thousands who do not. There is talk from the government of labour reforms, but no sense of accountability; everything is about image. The real story is the arrests made as the tournament entered its final week as part of an investigation into allegations of illegal lobbying in Europe. So what is it all for? Why bother with this vast Potemkin state? Why did Qatar want the World Cup? The answer perhaps lies in Lusail, in the – as yet – empty luxury villas and the smart apartment blocks. Qatar wants the mega rich to live here–and perhaps soulless clean malls full of luxury brands, populated by other rich people, is a draw. But it also wants middle-managers and professionals, computer technicians and data analysts, and it will draw them from countries unable to provide such a high standard of living. That is the nature of global capitalism, but it is also protection. If Qatar houses émigrés from all over the world, if it has a resonance far beyond its own shores, it is that much harder for either Saudi Arabia or Iran, the two great regional powers, to swallow it up. The World Cup has been justapart of that strategy. 7 Controversial…Nasser Al Khater Offending photo…this photo earned Samindra a security detention At the political blockbuster match, Iran v United States,Iwas detained for15 minutes after taking a photo of a girl crying because security confiscated her Persian flag,asymbol for anti-regime protesters. The atmosphere at the Al Thumama Stadium had been thick with tension and apprehension among the Iranian fans, split into anti and pro-regime camps. This game transcended the sport, at least from the Iranian perspective. It was not the geopolitical shock of the late ’90s when the pair met at the World Cup in France, but, again,aflashpoint for the nationwide protests back home prompted by the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police. Underlying close ties between the host nation and Iran, security was ramped up at Team Melli’s final group encounter to prevent any anti-regime protests. At Iran’s first match against England, supporters were asked to wear their Amini T-shirts inside out when entering the stadium; at the second match, against Wales, such T-shirts were confiscated; and for the United States match most supporters left them at home. The crackdown from security was complete. Even Palestinian flags and symbols, ubiquitous at the first World Cup in the region, were confiscated. Iranian fan Saba told Dhiman Sarkar, a colleague from the Hindustan Times, and myself that she was asked to show her bra at security to ensure she was not hiding “dissenting” messages. We went to security to see for ourselves and whenItook the photo, “the tournament police” demanded I delete it. I refused and was detained. “Big problem,”Iwas told, while outside Dhiman tried to reach FIFA’s venue media officer. After 15 minutes,asenior police officer repeated the demand to delete the photo. I obliged, was released, and later retained the photo in my deleted folder. That same evening, Danish TV reporter Rasmus Tantholdt said he had also been detained briefly, underlying that there is little to no press freedom in Qatar, ranked119th on the 2022 World Press Freedom Index. Detained for taking a photo Journalist Samindra Kunti recounts how he was detained by security for taking a photo in Qatar

WANT IT TODAY? GO DIGITAL ORDER NOW shop.kelsey.co.uk/WSC23 Or Call: 01959 543 747 You may have missed... October 2022 November 2022 World Cup Special December 2022 In the next issue World Soccer’s February 2023 edition is our annual awards special, focusing on the players, teams and managers who have helped shape the game over the past 12 months. As well as looking back over the past year, we also look forward, highlighting the big stories of 2023 before they happen and previewing the African Champions League group stage and Asian Champions League west region knockout phase. Plus, don’t miss an interview with ESM Golden Shoe winner Robert Lewandowski, a special club profile on European high-flyers Napoli, eye witness reports from Georgia and Lithuania, and much more. Print £5.99 | Digital £3.99 SAVE10% when you spend £25 or more VOUCHERCODE: WSCSHOP23 shop.kelsey.co.uk/WSC23 +44 (0)1959 543 747 Offers subject to availability. Prices for goods delivered to destinations outside of the UK may be higher

Italia ’90 T-Shirt £15 Print £7.99 | Digital £6.99 SAVE 10% when you spend £25 or more VOUCHERCODE: WSCSHOP23 £7.99 | £6.99 £7.99 | £6.99 £7.99 | £6.99 £7.99 | £6.99 £7.99 | £6.99 £7.99 | £6.99 £7.99 | £6.99 £7.99 | £6.99 £7.99 | £6.99 £7.99 | £6.99 £7.99 | £6.99 £7.99 | £6.99 World Soccer Presents Merchandise History of the World Cup A nostalgic and definitive history of the World Cup, looking back at every finals since the tournament’s inception in 1930. Includes match reports, interviews, tournament post-mortems, analysis, team features, player profiles, iconic moments, memorable pictures and much more. shop.kelsey.co.uk/WSC23 +44 (0)1959 543 747 Offers subject to availability. Prices for goods delivered to destinations outside of the UK may be higher Also from the publishers of Mexico ’86 T-Shirt £15 Spain ’82 T-Shirt £15 Binder £10.95

(Benfica) With the level of analysis, scouting and research that goes into modern clubs’ transfer operations, the days of players being signed for big money off the back of a handful of impressive World Cup performances are probably a thing of the past. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that, as Enzo Fernandez tiptoed into the penalty area during Argentina’s Group C clash with Mexico before curling a wicked effort into the top corner, his price tag crept up by a few digits. The 21-year-old midfielder was already on the radar of many of Europe’s biggest clubs after starring in Benfica’s dominant start to the 2022-23 season. Only two outfield players had played more minutes for the Lisbon giants than Fernandez when the league paused for the World Cup, with the unbeaten Benfica eight points clear of their nearest rivals. Despite catching the eye with his sensational strike against Mexico – and opening his Benfica account with a sweetly-struck volley from the edge of the area–goalscoring is more of a bonus feature to Fernandez’s game than an integral element. A clever, deep-lying midfielder, he is a tempo-setter, a regista with a superb passing range, averaging more than 90 passes per Portuguese league game prior to Qatar. No stranger to the uglier side of his role, he also wins his fair share of tackles – and concedes his fair share of fouls. Fernandez already has a long and growing list of admirers, yet the biggest obstacle to clubs hoping to sign him could beasimple matter of timing. Benfica only signed him from River Plate (forafee of €10 million) in June, and will be reluctant to let him go for anything less than a huge profit given how integral he has been to their season – and not just domestically. He only missed one game as the Eagles advanced to the last 16 of the Champions League as group winners and, with Club Brugge awaiting them in the next round, the opportunity to match last season’s journey to the quarter-finals is a real prospect. Benfica are, of course, not immune to the advances of bigger clubs – as they demonstrated last summer by cashing in on Darwin Nunez after just two years – but even they will surely be keen to hold on to their top prospect until the summer. Then again, this is also a club that knows when to cash their chips in, and Fernandez’s value may well be as high now as it will ever be. His impressive performance in Qatar ENZO FERNANDEZ Goalscoring is more of a bonus feature to Fernandez’s game Football’s MOST WANTED Jamie Evans and Jared Tinslay takeacloser look at the players who could be on the move in the January transfer window 70 WORLD SOCCER

is simply the latest chapter in a remarkable young career. Only three years ago, he was unable to get into the River Plate first team and was loaned out to Defensa y Justicia, where he played a starring role as Hernan Crespo’s unfancied side lifted the 2020 Copa Sudamericana, South America’s second-tier club competition. On his return to River, he starred in the Julian Alvarez-inspired side that won the 2021 Argentine league title. YOURI TIELEMANS (Leicester City) The Foxes are reportedly already lining up Lorient’s Enzo Le Fee as a potential replacement for Tielemans, who is out of contract in 2023 and not expected to agree a new deal. Potential suitors of the Belgium midfielder, including Arsenal, could avoid a summer free-for-all by bidding in January. (Rennes) Dubbed “the next Luka Modric”, not least for sharing the same initials, the Croatia international and former Dinamo Zagreb midfielder has turned heads with his performances for Rennes this season. His contract runs until 2026 so the French club are unwilling to budge from their €60m valuation. LOVRO MAJER (Roma) Interest at home (Juventus, Inter and Milan) and abroad (PSG and Tottenham) has forced Roma into entering contract negotiations with their young left-winger, who turns 21 in January and still has two years left on his contract. The capital club will be hoping he commits his future to them. NICOLA ZALEWSKI (Athletic Bilbao) According to reports, Barcelona have a verbal agreement for the experienced centre-back to join as a free agent next summer, but they may be willing to pay Athletic a nominal fee to secure the deal in January. Bayern Munich’s Benjamin Pavard is also a target at right-back. INIGO MARTINEZ RAFAEL LEAO (Milan) The Portugal winger caught the eye in last season’s title win and in this season’s Champions League, and Milan are keen to tie him down to a new contract. Yet doing so has not proven easy. If an agreement can’t be reached, Milan may need to cash in on him, with Leao’s current deal expiring in 2024. MOST WAN TED WORLD SOCCER 71

Football’s MOST WAN TED 72 WORLD SOCCER JONATHAN DAVID YOUSSOU FA MOUKOKO MARCUS EDWARDS HAKIM ZIYECH (Kashiwa Reysol) Japan is proving to be an increasingly productive breeding ground for European clubs eyeing a bargain, and 2022 J. League Rookie of the Year Hosoya is a strong candidate to be the next target. World Cup call-ups Shuto Machino and Yuki Soma will also be on clubs’ radars. (Borussia Dortmund) Barely18 years old and already a first-team regular at Dortmund and a member of Germany’s World Cup squad, striker Moukoko’s delay on signing a new deal at Borussia has caught the attention of every major club in Europe. Liverpool and Manchester United reportedly lead the race for his signature. (Internazionale) Brought in to replace Achraf Hakimi, the Netherlands’ attacking right wing-back has impressed since moving to Serie A in 2021 for €15m. Upon hearing about potential interest from Manchester United and other clubs, the Dutch defender said he was “flattered” but focused on Inter. (Lille) The Canada marksman moved to France from Gent three summers ago and was part of the Lille squad that beat PSG to the Ligue 1 title in 2020-21. He recently said he would be open to a move to either Spain or England, and his profile would have been boosted by playing in Qatar. (Villarreal) The Spain defender’s €55m release clause has put off clubs in the past, but it seems Villarreal may now consider a bid below that figure. Unai Emery is rumoured to want a reunion at Aston Villa, although the centreback’s previous desire to play European football make those links questionable. (Chelsea) Rafael van der Vaart suggested his former club Tottenham could win the Premier League by signing Ziyech. Only three players have joined Spurs from Chelsea in the Premier League era but, with the Blues pursuing Everton ace Anthony Gordon, the Moroccan could become available to Antonio Conte. (PSV) Top of both the goal and assists charts in the Eredivisie before shining in Qatar, Gakpo is already a star for both club and country. Advised against joining Manchester United in the summer by Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal, the 23-year-old attacker will be even more in demand in 2023. (Sporting) After scoring against his old club Tottenham in the Champions League, the winger admitted he would like to return to the Premier League one day. That return could come soon, and Spurs would have a big advantage on other rivals having included a 50 per cent sell-on clause when selling him. MAO HOSOYA CODY GAKPO PAU TORRES DENZEL DUMFRIES

(Shakhtar Donetsk) Few teams have started a Champions League campaign in circumstances as difficult as Shakhtar did this season. With Ukrainian football paralysed by Russia’s invasion, they had only played three league matches in nine months when their campaign began against RB Leipzig. Their preparation came in the form of a series of friendlies as they toured Europe having been forced out of their Donbas home. Their squad had been decimated by departures, leaving them with a team of almost entirely academy-produced players. By the end of their stunning 4-1 victory in Leipzig, there was no doubt as to which member of Shakhtar’s new-look young squad was the rising star. Mudryk was involved in three of his side’s goals, assisting two after electric bursts down the left wing, either side of a crisp leftfooted finish past Peter Gulacsi. He went on to score two more goals as Shakhtar finished third in their group and advanced to the Europa League, where they will play Rennes in the play-offs in February. His domestic form has been equally impressive, with five goals and six assists in his first ten games in the Ukrainian Premier League, which is being played out behind closed doors. The exodus from Shakhtar since the start of the year – particularly of Brazilians David Neres, Fernando, Pedrinho, Alan Patrick and Tete – has been a blessing in disguise for Mudryk. Prior to this season, he had only started eight league matches for the club he joined at the age of16, but he had doubled that tally by the start of November. Alongside striker Danylo Sikan, another 21-year-old Ukrainian, he has been instrumental in leading the attack of a club that is used to relying on Brazilian imports. With the January window looming, Shakhtar find themselves in a unique position. They are in a battle with FIFA over the ruling that allowed players to leave Ukraine after the invasion –aruling that they say cost them €50m. Selling Mudryk would allow them to recoup some of the losses they have made, but they are also determined not to be shortchanged again. The winger is said to have a €60m price tag on his head. And he is not short of admirers. Reports say Premier League leaders Arsenal have made him their priority, while Newcastle United and Juventus have also been linked with a move. A traditional winger who operates down his favourite side rather than playing as an inverted right-winger, his pace and directness make him a serious counter-attacking threat – as he has demonstrated in Europe this season. MYKHAYLO MUDRYK WORLD SOCCER 73 The 21-year-old winger is said to have a €60m price tag on his head MOST WAN TED

(Napoli) Having already nicknamed him “Kvaradona” in tribute to club legend Diego Maradona, it will give Napoli fans no end of anguish to see their new hero already linked with a move on, just a few months after he arrived at the club from Dinamo Batumi. They would also be entitled to ask why he would want to be anywhere but Naples right now, with Gli Azzurri flying high in Serie A and plotting a Champions League last-16 clash with Eintracht Frankfurt after topping a group featuring Liverpool and Ajax. Still, that will not stop clubs circling around the in-form and highly-talented Kvaratskhelia. If he were to leave in January, it would be to his fourth club in a year. In March, he walked out on Rubin Kazan following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, returning to Georgia to play for Batumi. Eight goals in just11 matches convinced Napoli to pay around €12m for him, and his impressive productivity has continued in Italy. Before the World Cup break, he had scored eight goals and assisted another eight in17 Champions League and SerieAmatches, while also averaging more completed dribbles than anyone else in Italy’s top flight. Yet the 21-year-old is not a player that is defined by stats. The top result when typing his name into YouTube is a video titled: “50 Players Humiliated By Khvicha Kvaratskhelia,” and it delivers on its promise. His low centre of gravity, excellent balance and exceptionally quick feet allow him to regularly make defenders look foolish, while his reliable end product gives them a dilemma: stand off and he’ll deliver a cross or a shot, get too tight and he’ll dance past them. Operating from the left of Napoli’s three-man attack, he has struck up a particularly effective partnership with centre-forward Victor Osimhen, setting up three of the Nigerian’s first eight Serie A goals. Between them, the duo have done an outstanding job of replacing Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne, the club’s top two record scorers, who departed in the summer. Given that, it is hard to imagine Napoli being willing to sell at any price. Yet some reports claim that a new deal for the Georgian will include a release clause of €65m. A healthy profit on their initial outlay, certainly, but probably not enough to put off the likes of Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain or Manchester City, who have all been linked with the winger. Or perhaps even Newcastle United, SERGEJ MILINKOVIC-SAVIC KHV ICHA KVARATSKHELIA (Juventus) Reports from Italy suggest Juventus are willing to sell McKennie in 2023, from as early as the January window, amid plenty of Premier League interest. I Bianconeri are looking towards Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodrigo De Paul as the American’s replacement. WESTON McKENNIE His low centre of gravity, balance and quick feet allow him to regularly make defenders look foolish (Lazio) The Serbia midfielder has enjoyed a sublime start to 2022-23, directly involved in11 goals in his first 12 games. Lazio president Claudio Lotito says: “He is now worth €120m, and every month the price goes up,” much to the frustration of Juventus, Arsenal and Manchester United. Football’s MOST WAN TED 74 WORLD SOCCER

ALBERTO MOLEIRO whose Saudi owners could boost their Champions League dreams by swooping for one of the outstanding young talents in Europe. Then again, Kvaradona is currently in place to write himself into the Napoli history books – and the affections of the club’s fans forever – if he can help steer them to a first title since1990, when Diego was still in situ. That would be hard to walk away from, no matter who makes him an offer this January. JESPER LINDSTROM (Eintracht Frankfurt) As many as seven European clubs are said to be competing for the Denmark international’s signature including Manchester City, Arsenal, Juventus, Milan, Bayern Munich and Barcelona. The winger was recently quoted to be “insanely happy” to read of reports liking him with the Gunners. (Philadelphia Union) The MLS Cup final, which Philadelphia Union lost to LAFC, was widely reported to be Wagner’s final game for the club, having impressed throughout the season with his attacking forays from left-back. One of his opponents in the final, Ecuador midfielder Jose Cifuentes, is also likely to be heading to Europe. KAI WAGNER JOAO FELIX BEN BRERETON DIAZ (Blackburn Rovers) While the Chile striker has insisted he will stay at Ewood Park until the end of the season, the decision might be out of his hands. His contract expires in the summer so the Rovers hierarchy risk losing him for free; although if he fires them to promotion, it will have been worth it. (Atletico Madrid) Following his sparkling performances in Qatar, where he was able to truly express himself without the shackles often imposed on him at club level, fans got a glimpse of the massive potential of Joao Felix. Arsenal are said to be leading the race for his signature as they step up their chase for a replacement for the injured Gabriel Jesus. (Las Palmas) Comparisons have already been drawn between Moleiro and Pedri, who also emerged from Las Palmas’ academy. Barcelona snapped up the Spain midfielder for just €5m in 2019, and nobody wants to miss out on another bargain: Real Madrid, Manchester City and Liverpool are among those interested. WORLD SOCCER 75 MOST WAN TED

GREATEST RIVALRIES or phone 01986 892621 or visit www.footballprogs.co.uk The Official F.I.F.A. 2022 World Cup Guide (132 pages) £13 (inc.p&p) The 2022 Women’s Euro Final (England v Germany) £15.50 (inc.p&p) STEVE EARL FOOTBALL PROGRAMMES(DEPT.WS) BROAD STREET,BUNGAY,SUFFOLK,NR35 1AH, ENGLAND 2023 CALENDARS OUT NOW! Lines are open Mon-Fri 8.30am to 5.30pm. Calls are charged at your standard network rate. Prices correct at time of print and subject to change. For full terms and conditions visit shop.kelsey.co.uk/terms. To see how we use your data view our privacy policy here shop.kelsey.co.uk/privacy-policy. OUT NOW! VISIT SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/CAL23 OR CALL 01959 543 747 AND QUOTE ‘CAL23’ JUST £8.99

Exclusive reports from our worldwide network of correspondents ULTIMATENEWS& RESULTSSECTION WORLD SOCCER 77 PLUS INCORPORATING Global diary 78 86 25th Arabian Gulf Cup preview...Bahrain won the last edition of the tournament in Qatar in 2019 Brazilian champions...Palmeiras 84 MARK GLEESON CHAN 2022 90 STEVE MENARY Laos NEWS 78 Brazilian league 80 South American lea ues 82 European summer leagues 84 CHAN 2022 86 Arabian Gulf Cup 88 AFF Championship 90 Laos DIARY 91 Global diary SQUADS 92 World Cup 2022 RESULTS, TABLES, FIXTURES 96 Club football 97 Internationals 98 ESM XI 82 NICK BIDWELL Europe 86 JOHN DUERDEN Arabian Gulf Cup&AFF Championship 88 78 TIM VICKERY Brazil & South America 80

Champions… Palmeiras players celebrate with the league trophy Brazil TIM VICKERY 78 WORLD SOCCER ortuguese coach Abel Ferreira was little known when he swapped PAOK in Greece for Palmeiras towards the end of 2020. His profile is much higher now, but at the start of this season there was still one doubt hanging over him. He had won two versions of the Copa Libertadores and one Brazilian Cup. But was he best suited to knockout competitions? Notoriously risk averse in the big matches, was he too cautious for a successful league campaign? He has now successfully silenced Sao Paulo-based club win their 11th national championship, extending their record as the league’s most successful team that doubt. Because the race for the 2022 Brazilian league title was not even close. In 2021,a“big three” had appeared to consolidate themselves at the top of the Brazilian game. Big-spending Atletico Mineiro had emerged to complete the domestic double, while Rio giants Flamengo are a mighty force. Neither had good league campaigns in 2022. After their golden year, Atletico fell back badly, perhaps distracted by their plans to open a new stadium in 2023. And Flamengo had a disastrous start when their Portuguese coach Paulo Sousa insisted on a back-three Palmeiras cruise to Brazilian league title system that did not suit the players. Dorival Junior came in and got the side right, but focused instead on the knockout competitions. Flamengo won the Libertadores and domestic cup, while often fielding reserve sides in league games. Does any of this devalue the triumph of Palmeiras? Not at all. They scored more goals than anyone else and conceded fewer. Beaten in the first round and in the last, they suffered just one defeat in the 36 matches in between – an extraordinary testimony to the team’s consistency in such a demanding competition. Abel Ferreira P Review

WORLD SERVICE COACH OF THE YEAR Abel FERREIRA (Palmeiras) With the talent and intensity (and sometimes the antics) of a young Jose Mourinho. Some see him as a replacement for Tite after Qatar. But would his frequently cautious approach prove a good fit for the national team? PLAYER OF THE YEAR DUDU (Palmeiras) Stocky wide striker, experienced and intelligent, who scored seven goals in the campaign and helped set up plenty of others. A reserve in the 2011 Under-20 World Cupwinning team who briefly played in Ukraine for Dynamo Kyiv. NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR ENDRICK (Palmeiras) It is hard on Athletico Paranaense’s highly-promising Vitor Roque, but the award goes to someone who only played towards the end of the campaign and will join Real Madrid in 2024. The 16-year-old striker looks likeagenuine phenomenon. Newcomer of the Year…Endrick SEASON’S BEST WORLD SOCCER 79 is both a highly competent collective organiser ofateam, and a specialist at developing individual players. The transformation of Rony from a frustrating winger to the team’s cutting edge at centre-forward has been a wonder to behold. So superior was the campaign of Palmeiras, that they wrapped up the title weeks in advance, without ever having a serious challenger. Under former Brazil coach Mano Menezes, Internacional came second, but more interesting were third-placed Fluminense. Coach Fernando Diniz has long been seen as a promise, and this was by far the best year for his bold approach, where players are thrown forward in a bid to overload one flank. With plenty of options for a forward pass, the former great hope Paulo Henrique Ganso enjoyed the best year of his wayward career, while Argentine goal-poacher German Cano feasted on chances to finish as the league’s top scorer with 26 strikes. Corinthians finished fourth, improving during the campaign as playmaker Renato Augusto recovered his fitness and Portuguese coach Vitor Pereira found his feet. He stepped down at the end of a tricky year in which the highlight was the display in the final of the domestic cup, where they lost on penalties. Another coach stepping down is Luiz Felipe Scolari, who retired at the end of the year after safely steering Athletico Paranaense into sixth place and the group phase of the 2023 Copa Libertadores. Atletico Mineiro will have to go through the qualifying round, a considerable disappointment, while the same achievement for Fortaleza is a major triumph. One of the few first division teams from the north east, their campaign is a logistical nightmare, and their debut participation in the 2022 Libertadores added to the strain. They spent much of the first half of the season bottom of the table, until Argentine coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda worked his magic and they soared up the table. Of Brazil’s eight Libertadores representatives – Flamengo, Palmeiras, Internacional, Fluminense, Corinthians and Athletico Paranaense, plus Atletico Mineiro and Fortaleza in the qualifying rounds – seven took part in 2022. The fact that Fortaleza are among them is a minor miracle, but this is a statistic that points to an undeniable trend of distances opening up between wealthy clubs and the others. Sao Paulo, America Mineiro, Botafogo, Santos, Goias and Red Bull Bragantino will play in the Copa Sudamericana. One club who are extremely disappointed to have missed out on a Libertadores slot are Sao Paulo, since this was their stated objective. Botafogo will be happy to have survived in their first season back in the top flight, also their first under the new USA-based regime. They will go into 2023 feeling positive–a feeling that Santos cannot share. Pele’s old club is a miracle of its own. The population of Santos is under half a million, and it is barely credible that the club have been able to outperform giants from the metropolis. Youth development keeps them punching above their weight, but the storm clouds are gathering. Four relatively minor teams were relegated – Ceara, Atletico Goianiense, Avai and Juventude. They have been replaced by a quartet Top scorer… Fluminense striker German Cano struck 26 league goals Star man… Palmeiras striker Rony They scored more goals than anyone else and conceded fewer. Beaten in the first round and in the last, they suffered just one defeat in the 36 matches in between of traditional giants–Cruzeiro, Gremio, Bahia and Vasco da Gama. The battle to stay up next year looks set to be especially fierce. Managerial mastermind... Abel Ferreira

HOW THE LEAGUE WAS WON CONTINENTAL QUALIFIERS COACH OF THE YEAR The16 clubs play two tournaments a year. The Apertura ends with play-offs, and in the final Bolivar beat The Strongest in the La Paz derby. The Strongest were ahead in the league-based Clausura, but political disturbances halted the action with six rounds to go. Two tournaments, the Apertura and Finalizacion, are played per year. In the first, Atletico Nacional beat Tolima 4-3 in the two-legged play-off final, with stoppage-time goals in both legs. In the second, Deportivo Pereira beat Medellin on penalties to win their first title. There are two separate championships in the year, both held on a league basis involving 12 teams. Libertad won the Apertura by a seven-point margin, while Olimpia claimed the Clausura by a single point. A complex, three-stage system boils down to a semi-final where the winners of the two main stages (Liverpool and Nacional) contest the right to meet the team with most points overall (Nacional). After extra-time Nacional won 4-1, rendering the final unnecessary. The16 teams play in a league format, and the destiny of the title was not in doubt after Santiago giants Colo-Colo took the lead after eight rounds and ended the 30 rounds with an 11-point lead. The16 teams play two league stages, and the winners meet in a two-legged final, where Aucas of Quito won their first-ever title with a 1-0 aggregate win over Barcelona of Guayaquil. The19 teams play two league campaigns, and the season concluded with a two-legged final between the stage winners, where Alianza Lima retained their title, coming from behind to beat Melgar 2-1 on aggregate. A league of 16 teams, with the top four going into a mini-league where the best two qualified for a one-off final. Worthy winners were Metropolitanos of Caracas, only founded in 2011, who beat Monagas on penalties after a1-1 draw. Libertadores: Bolivar, The Strongest and (qualifying rounds) Always Ready and Nacional Potosi. Sudamericana: Oriente Petrolero, Guabira, Atletico Palmaflor and Blooming. Libertadores: Atletico Nacional and Deportivo Pereira and (qualifying rounds) Millonarios and Independiente Medellin. Sudamericana: Tolima, Junior, Santa Fe and Aguilas Doradas. Libertadores: Libertad, Olimpia and (qualifying rounds) Cerro Porteno and Nacional. Sudamericana: Guarani, Tacuary, General Caballero (JLM) and Sportivo Ameliano. Libertadores: Nacional, Liverpool and (qualifying rounds) Deportivo Maldonado and Boston River. Sudamericana: River Plate, Penarol, Defensor and Danubio. Libertadores: Colo-Colo, Nublense and (qualifying rounds) Curico Unido and (cup winners) Magallanes. Sudamericana: Palestino, Cobresal, Universidad Catolica and Audax Italiano. Libertadores: Independiente del Valle, Aucas, Barcelona and (qualifying rounds) Universidad Catolica and (via the cup) El Nacional. Sudamericana: LDU, Emelec, Deportivo Cuenca and Delfin. Libertadores: Alianza Lima, Melgar and (qualifying rounds) Sporting Cristal and Sport Huancayo. Sudamericana: Universitario, Universidad Cesar Vallejo, Cienciano and Binacional. Libertadores: Metropolitanos, Monagas and (qualifying rounds) Carabobo and Zamora. Sudamericana: Estudiantes de Merida, Caracas, Deportivo Tachira and Puerto Cabello. Humberto VIVIANI (Atletico Palmaflor) Left Palmaflor before the end of the year, but the former defender did a fine job in the Apertura, assuring a small provincial club of Copa Sudamericana action next season. David GONZALEZ (Medellin) The 40-year-old’s intelligence was immediately apparent after taking his first coaching job at his old club in June, as he ended the year just a shootout away from the title. Previously spent a few years as a substitute goalkeeper in England. Daniel GARNERO (Libertad) Libertad fell off in the second half of the year, but Garnero gets the award not only for winning the Apertura, but also for forging a team that was competitive in the Libertadores, narrowly eliminated by one of the finalists. Jorge BAVA (Liverpool) Goalkeeper who ended his playing career with Liverpool in 2021 in order to take over as coach. His first full year in charge was the best in the club’s 107-year history. Looks to have an interesting future. Gustavo QUINTEROS (Colo-Colo) Argentine-born, played for Bolivia in the 1994 World Cup and has enjoyed a solid coaching career around South America. Took a team that were nearly relegated two years ago to a 33rd title. Cesar FARIAS (Aucas) The Venezuelan is not to everyone’s taste, but he is undoubtedly talented. Basing his strategy on the tightest defence in the league, he took one of the founder members of the league to their first title. Nestor LORENZO (Melgar) Long-term assistant to fellow Argentine Jose Pekerman who did a fine job in his first solo flight with the club from Arequipa, making them victorious at home and competitive internationally. Now coach of Colombia. Jose Maria MORR (Metropolitanos) Former U23 international striker and one-time national team assistant coach. Went solo in 2018 and, in only his second job, crowned a memorably consistent year with a well-deserved title. Chile PRIMERA DIVISION Bolivia PRIMERA DIVISION Peru LIGA 1 Uruguay PRIMERA DIVISION Ecuador SERIE A Colombia PRIMERA A Paraguay PRIMERA DIVISION Venezuela PRIMERA DIVISION 80 WORLD SOCCER SOUTH AMERICAN LEAGUES REVIEW

PLAYER OF THE YEAR Roberto Carlos FERNANDEZ (Bolivar) Attacking left-back or midfielder long seen as a player of promise. Briefly based in Spain, now appears ready to be a key figure for club and country. Juan Martin LUCERO (Colo-Colo) Experienced Argentine number nine who led the line well, giving a platform with his back to goal and ending the campaign as secondtop scorer. Enjoyed probably the best season of his career. Harlen CASTILLO (Pereira) The 29-year-old goalkeeper was the hero of the Finalizacion penalty shootout. Many, including Tino Asprilla, are tipping him as the successor to David Ospina in the national team. Lorenzo FARAVELLI (Independiente del Valle) Busy and intelligent Argentine midfielder whose excellence was not enough for the club to retain the title, but he played a huge role in the Copa Sudamericana and domestic cup triumphs. Derlis GONZALEZ (Olimpia) Clever, skilful and experienced little striker who narrowly gets the nod over Libertad’s strong left-footed forward Lorenzo Melgarejo. Gonzalez was the key man in his side’s Clausura triumph. Hernan BARCOS (Alianza Lima) The experienced Argentine centre-forward, nicknamed “the Pirate”, was once again the most decisive player in the tournament, making his presence and intelligence felt on the big occasions. Felipe CARBALLO (Nacional) The presence of Luis Suarez in the Nacional line-up for the last few months galvanised the entire championship. But over the course of the year it was the midfield play of Carballo that galvanised the team. Christian LAROTONDA (Metropolitanos) Central midfielder who was the heartbeat of the champions’ campaign, and whose all-round game has won him a place in the national team, where he has been a regular starter since June. Luis ZEBALLOS (Oriente Petrolero) Slightly-built attacking midfielder, once on the books of Santos in Brazil, who showed enough technique and confidence to hint at good things to come. Alexander ARAVENA (Nublense) Little support striker who was a shining light in the best-ever season of a traditional club from Chillan. Scored goals and set them up. Began the year as a relative unknown, ended it as a star. Daniel RUIZ (Millonarios) Attacking midfielder who showed promise in 2021 and took it further the following year, showing the creative skills that have led James Rodriguez to point him out as a possible successor in the national team. Kevin RODRIGUEZ (Imbabura) One of the stories of the year: support striker who was top scorer in the team finishing fifth in the second division and ended up winning a last-minute call-up to Ecuador’s World Cup squad. Diego GOMEZ (Libertad) Teenage midfielder in the Paraguayan tradition: strong, competitive, and box-to-box with a fierce shot and an eye for goal. Facing an important consolidation year in 2023. Aron SANCHEZ (Cantolao) Latest product from a club with a fine youth development record. Teenage centre-back who consolidated himself as one of the most promising talents in Peru in 2022 and will surely be moving to a bigger club in 2023. Thiago BORBAS (River Plate) Third season for the 20-year-old striker and the year when he turned promise into consistency. Tall, rangy and quick, able to operate on the right or through the middle. Andres FERRO (Metropolitanos) Classy centre-back, now 21, who had his breakthrough four years after his debut. Was chosen as the revelation of an U23 tournament in France and has now won a call-up to the senior Venezuela squad. The expectation is to proceed with the Apertura and Clausura format, but there will have to be changes to the former, where the teams are divided into two groups of eight. Because of the turmoil of 2022 there will now be17 teams. Unchanged. The16 teams will playastraight league format. No changes are anticipated. The Apertura-Finalizacion format, with the top eight out of 20 teams qualifying for the play-offs, is well established. The only variation is whether the play-offs should start with quarter-finals or two groups of four. Unchanged. The16 teams play two separate league stages, with the two winners meeting in the final. Quito heavyweights El Nacional will return to the top flight, and VAR will be used in all matches. Unchanged. The Apertura and Clausura format will once again be employed. The year gets underway with the Supercopa, pitting cup winners Ameliano against league winners Olimpia. Unchanged. Apertura and Clausura leagues are played, with the winners – plus teams with most points over the year – contesting the overall title. VAR is being introduced. Unchanged, although there was a proposal to change the order of the three tournaments, bringing the Intermedio from the middle to the start of the year. This was rejected. A similar format to 2022 is expected, with16 teams in a league, the top four playing off for the title and the next eight disputing places in the Copa Sudamericana. Compiled by Tim Vickery NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR NEXT SEASON WORLD SOCCER 81 SOUTH AMERICA // LEAGUE REVIEWS League leaders... The Strongest Player of the Year... Juan Lucero Penalty hero... Harlen Castillo Copa Sudamericana... Lorenzo Faravelli Clausura champions... Olimpia Player of the Year... Hernan Barcos Local hero... Luis Suarez Champions... Metropolitanos

LEAGUE C HA MP IONS TOP S CO RE R B E ST OF T HE REST Iceland URVALSDEILD by Nick Bidwell Breidablik, from the town of Kopavogur near Reykjavik, cruised to only the second national title in their history. Their ace in the hole was the attacking trident of Isak Snaer Thorvaldsson, Jason Dadi Svanthorsson and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. Georgia EROVNULI LIGA by Nick Bidwell In a tight tussle that went to the last weekend of the season, Dinamo Tbilisi edged out holders Dinamo Batumi. Much of Tbilisi’s attacking threat came from Guinean winger Ousmane Camara and Dutch creative midfielder Imran Oulad Omar. Finland VEIKKAUSLIIGA by Nick Bidwell As most pundits expected, Finland’s biggest club HJK Helsinki racked up their third consecutive league title, their 32nd in total. Eventual runners-up KuPS were top for most of the regular season, but could not match HJK’s quality or experience in the run-in. Faroe Islands PREMIER LEAGUE by Nick Bidwell If this was a boxing match, the referee would have stopped the fight very early. KI finished19 points clear of their nearest challengers, losing none of their 27 matches and conceding just seven goals to lift their third title in four years. Estonia MEISTRILIIGA by Nick Bidwell Estonia’s most prestigious club, Flora Tallinn, had a walk in the park, finishing the season with a huge 18-point cushion over last year’s winners Levadia. Their14th league title, Flora only lost once all season: a shock1-0 defeat at Nomme Kalju. Belarus PREMIER LEAGUE by Nick Bidwell Shakhtyor Soligorsk continue to maintain their stranglehold on the Belarus league, coming up trumps for the third consecutive year. Such was their superiority on the pitch, they were able to change head coach three times without suffering. A threat all along the front line, young forward Nokkvi Thorisson could not stop scoring for KA, notching17 goals from just 20 games. The 23-year-old’s form was good enough to earn a move to Belgian side Beerschot in September. Teenage winger Ari Sigurpalsson regularly turned on the style for Vikingur, catching the eye with speed, ball-skills, goals and assists. The Icelandic youth international spent time in the academy system at Italian outfit Bologna. Equally devastating as a classic centre-forward, second striker or roving left-winger, Dinamo Batumi’s Brazilian ace Flamarion topped the Erovnuli Liga scoring charts at a canter, netting 19 times. Diminutive but exceedingly deadly. Giorgi Mikadze enjoyed a fine first season in charge of Samgurali Tsqaltubo, transforming the flatlining outfit of 2021 into an enterprising, well-drilled top-four side. A couple more points and they would have qualified for Europe. Once an unremarkable performer for Leeds United, Ross County and St Mirren, FC Haka’s Scottish striker Lee Erwin finished top of the scoring charts with 20 goals. The former Scotland youth international was snapped up by Lebanese side Ahed in November. In a mediocre mid-table VPS side that lost more games than it won, one player stood out: striker Kalle Multanen. His steady supply of goals literally kept VPS up, scoring four times in five starts in the relegation round to end with a grand total of 15. League runners-up Vikingur were massively dependant on the ability of attacking midfielder Solvi Vatnhamar to sneak silently into the box and put away chances with aplomb. Still going strong at the ripe old age of 36. On a single-season loan from Danish club Esbjerg, 20-year-old striker Mads Borchers not only accumulated goals aplenty for mid-table Vestur, but was also deemed worthy of skippering the side on occasion. Great left foot. Runners-up Levadia extracted full value from the little Georgian forward Zakaria Beglarishvili, who was on the scoresheet 21 times in the Meistriliiga, following on from his 24 goals in 2021. Equally menacing as an attacking midfielder or winger. The Estonian top flight was no level playing field in 2022. Utter mismatches included Levadia hitting Vaprus for eight without reply in March and Paide Linnameeskond inflicting a 10-0 hammering on Legion seven months later. Energetyk-BGU’s title challenge – which ended in a creditable second-place finish – relied heavily on the contribution of livewire Uzbek striker Bobur Abdikholikov, who netted no fewer than 26 goals in 30 appearances. Foraclub of decidedly modest means, Minskbased Isloch consistently punched above their weight and had good reason to be delighted with their fifth-place finish. One of the youngest squads in the top flight (22.2 years). 82 WORLD SOCCER EURO SEASON REVIEW

LEAGUE C HA MP IONS TOP S CO RE R B E ST OF T HE REST Sweden ALLSVENSKAN by Nick Bidwell Republic Of Ireland PREMIER DIVISION by Sean Creedon Shamrock Rovers won a hat-trick of titles for the first time since1986, a great achievement for 38-year-old manager Stephen Bradley. In the Conference League group stage they only won two points, but they earned plenty of UEFA money. Norway ELITESERIEN by Nick Bidwell After a few early-season hiccups, Molde never looked back after hitting pole position midway through the campaign. Relentlessly consistent, they only lost twice all season and remained unbeaten on the road, winning13 out of15. Lithuania A LYGA by Nick Bidwell Without having to overly exert themselves, Zalgiris completed a hat-trick of A Lyga titles. The Greens, who have won seven of the last ten titles, had a mixed start, but secured the title thanks largely to an an eight-game winning streak in the summer. Latvia VIRSLIGA by Nick Bidwell For most of the new millennium, Valmiera were stagnating in the second tier. But what an impact they have made since regaining a spot in the Virsliga in 2018, twice finishing in the top three before pipping Riga to the 2022 spoils. Kazakhstan PREMIER LEAGUE by Nick Bidwell In a tight race for the Premier League title, FC Astana leapfrogged closest rivals Aktobe at the death. Astana, the first Kazakh club to play in the Champions League group phase, were flawless in the run-in with five straight victories. With 18 goals, Aidan Keena is the first Sligo Rovers player to be top scorer in 55 years. He joined Sligo from Falkirk in January and scored on both his league debut, against St Pat’s, and again on his European debut against Bala Town. Having spent12 of the last 15 years in the First Division, Shelbourne impressed on their return to the top flight. Damien Duff’s young side stayed well clear of the drop and reached the final of the FAI Cup, where they lost 4-0 to Derry City. Tall and wiry Bodo/Glimt forward Amahl Pellegrino racked up 25 goals to secure the Golden Boot. Born in Norway to parents from Tanzania, the 32-year-old nominally plays on the left, but was usually found marauding through the middle. Based in a city (Skien) known for producing timber, Odd were anything but wooden in the 2022 season. After narrowly avoiding relegation in 2021, they were transformed under new coach Pal Arne Johansen, soaring to fifth. Zalgiris’ Brazilian striker Renan Oliveira may not be the most aesthetically pleasing of players, but he has a Johnny-on-thespot instinct and can unleash a mean shot with minimal back-lift – as proven by his17 league goals this season. All credit to top-flight rookies Siauliai, who gave an excellent account of themselves. Playing in the fourth tier as recently as 2016, they came up with survival as their only goal, yet passed with flying colours as they finished a comfortable seventh. Strong, direct and powerful in the air, Valmiera striker Raimonds Krollis is the best young player in Latvia. Still only 21 years of age, he has already scored over 50 goals in the Virsliga in his young career, and made 27 appearances for Latvia. 2020 champions Riga appointed their sixth head coach since that last triumph. Yet despite the dugout upheaval, they remain competitive, securing a silver medal and a ticket for the Europa Conference League qualifiers. Seasoned Portuguese winger Pedro Eugenio, 32, seems to get better with age. As well as his 18 league goals, he also set up many others and was always on hand to inject a note of fantasy in the final third. A major threat with his long-range shooting. Marseille-born winger Hugo Videmont had his season ended by a nasty knee injury in August but, when he was on the pitch for Aktobe, he often ran riot. With eight goals in14 matches, he would have challenged Eugenio for the Golden Boot if fit. Hacken striker Alexander Jeremejeff was in irresistible form, scoring 22 goals in 27 games. Excellent in the timing of his runs and a composed finisher, he returned to Hacken for this third spell in 2021 after failing at Twente. Newly-promoted Varnamo exceeded all expectations by finishing tenth. Inspired by 20-goal striker Marcus Antonsson - formerly of Blackburn Rovers and Leeds United - they were comfortably clear of the relegation zone in their first top-flight season. Superbly marshalled by experienced Norwegian head coach Per-Mathias Hogmo, BK Hacken won their first-ever Allsvenskan title. Only beaten twice all season, they sealed it in the best possible way: with a 4-0 win at Gothenburg arch-rivals IFK. WORLD SOCCER 83 EURO SEASON REVIEW SUMMER LEAGUES 2022

he African Nations Championship (CHAN) will get underway in Algeria in January 2023, one year behind schedule because of the knock-on effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with its future up in the air. It will be the seventh edition of the tournament first introduced in 2009 and competed for by quasi-national teams, restricted to home-based players only, but could be consigned to the scrap heap if Africa’s Super League ever gets underway. It was created to give more opportunity to African-based players, given the proliferation, and in some The last CHAN? The 2022 edition of the African Nations Championship, restricted to home-based players, could be the last T cases total dominance, of overseasbased players in Africa’s national teams. It was also going to provide a test of which were the continent’s more competitive leagues, but that has now been rendered meaningless by the fact that all the qualifying matches – and indeed the final tournament – takes place outside of FIFA dates, so clubs in the countries where the professional league are more powerful than the football associations want nothing to do with the competition. Egypt do not even bother to enter, while South Africa are forced to field a side made up of players that clubs deem surplus to requirements at the time of a CHAN match. In effect they often field a side made up of players unable to get into their respective clubs’ matchday squad, scrounged together by desperate football association officials eager to find anyone capable of playing. This ridicule of what an international is, is made even worse by the insistence on the part of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA that the CHAN matches be regarded as A internationals – which they are patently not because of the restriction on who can be selected – and that the results count towards the FIFA rankings, rendering their credibility even more dubious. Hosts Algeria, however, will close down their league for the duration of the tournament and have their best African Nations Championship MARK GLEESON Nations Championship 84 WORLD SOCCER Preview

Holders…Morocco won the last African Nations Championship in Cameroon in February 2021 WORLD SERVICE up of three teams each and only the group winners advance after a bizarre decision by CAF to increase the field from16 to the cumbersome number of18. It comes as a result of political jostling around more equitable regional representation at the finals. The qualifiers are held on a regional basis across the eight continental sporting zones, from North Africa to the Indian Ocean islands. Group D comprises Mauritania, Angola and Mali, the latter of whom were runners up at the last edition. In Group E, Cameroon compete against Congo and Niger. Besides Algiers, matches are also scheduled for Annaba, Constantine and Oran as Algeria have refurbished venues for the tournament, and with an eye on hosting a future Africa Cup of Nations finals in 2025. Senegal are a classic example of how the tournament can benefit local players. Their squads that won the Cup of Nations last year and that went to the World Cup in Qatar did not include a single locallybased outfield player (only fourthchoice keeper Alioune Badara Faty at the AFCON represented their domestic league). It is virtually impossible for any home-based players to get into the team. But the CHAN offers players a taste of international competition and a showcase for a possible move to greener pastures. The tournament does attractadecent number of scouts from Europe, although they mostly prefer the African junior tournaments in their search for talent. Besides the host nation, Ghana and Morocco look strong contenders for the title. Ghana upset rivals Nigeria in the qualifiers while Morocco’s club sides are among the most successful in African club football and therefore their team is filled with players who have a proven track record in continental competition. Algeria A coach… Madjid Bougherra team available, coached by the former Charlton Athletic and Rangers defender Madjid Bougherra. For almost all of the squad this will be the extent of their international career given how much Algeria’s proper national team squad calls upon talent born and based in France. Algeria will open the tournament with a clash against Libya at the newly-built Baraki Stadium in Algiers and also face Ethiopia and Mozambique. They have had plenty of practice with no expense spared in arranging fixtures for the Algeria A side – as they are known locally – and they will be well-drilled going into the tournament, which gets underway on January13. Holders Morocco, who won the last two tournaments in 2018 and 2021, head Group C against Ghana, Madagascar and Sudan, while the Democratic Republic of Congo – also twice past winners – are top-seeded in Group B alongside Ivory Coast, Senegal and Uganda. Group D and Group E are made WORLD SOCCER 85 It will be the seventh edition of the tournament…but could be consigned to the scrap heap if Africa’s Super League ever gets underway Newly built…the Baraki Stadium in Algiers will host the opening game and the final

Hosts…Iraq players celebrate during the 2019 edition Arabian Gulf Cup JOHN DUERDEN Arabian Gulf Cup 86 WORLD SOCCER here have obviously been some bigger tournaments in the Middle East in very recent memory but the 2023 Arabian Gulf Cup is significant foranumber of reasons – and not just because this is the 25th edition. One is that the eight teams, all The 25th edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup will be played in Basra from the Asian side of the region, will be playing in Iraq from January 6 to19. It is the first time that the competition has gone to the country since 1979, when the Lions of Mesopotamia lifted the trophy in front of their own fans. It was followed by the Iran-Iraq war, two US-led invasions and years of instability and violence, which made it impossible for the country to host tournaments or International football returns to Iraq even play individual games. Baghdad is still not seen as ready by FIFA – though plenty in Iraq disagree – and the Gulf Cup will be held in the southern city of Basra. There have been major efforts not just to get the stadiums ready but also to ensure that the other teams are comfortable in coming. All seems well, though there were a few concerns when Australia pulled out T Preview

Holders…Bahrain lifted the trophy in Qatar in 2019 WORLD SERVICE Branko Ivanovic …Oman coach WORLD SOCCER 87 of an Asian Under-20 Championship qualifier in the city in August. Unlike 1979 when Iraq topped a round-robin group of seven, there are two groups of four with the top two going through to the semi-finals. Iraq haven’t won since1988. After a disappointing World Cup qualification campaign where they went through four coaches, including Dick Advocaat, the federation has gone for what it hopes to be a long-term option in Jesus Casas, a former assistant with Spain who has also worked as an analyst for Barcelona. His job is to get the best out of a talented group of players that produced some turgid football on the road to Qatar and are looking for some vision as well as stability. Oman were far more impressive in the final round of qualification for Qatar, finishing just a point behind Australia and eight above China, with results that included victory in Japan and a draw with the Socceroos. After winning the edition before last in 2018, Croatian head coach Branko Ivankovic, who has the team more disciplined at the back and more clinical and energetic going forward, will be looking for a second title. Much may depend on Saudi Arabia and what kind of team French coach Herve Renard brings to Basra following their World Cup heroics. The Saudi Professional League paused for the tournament in Qatar over a month before it all kicked off and will resume again during the Gulf Cup, meaning that the Green Falcons will likely struggle to put together their strongest squad. Group A is completed by Yemen, the outsiders who know what it is like to be unable to play at home. Pretournament training in Saudi Arabia should help them rebuild after finishing rock bottom of their 2023 Asian Cup qualification group, though having to play all the games in Mongolia did not help. With some encouraging results at youth level, Yemen may make it difficult for the other three, but it would be a surprise if they made it to the last four. Qatar are favourites to top Group B but, like Saudi Arabia, are coming off the back of the World Cup. There may well be some kind of hangover and performing in this regional competition could be an anti-climax. It will be a chance, however, to try to bring some new blood into the team that has been together for a few years now. In October, Qatar were given hosting rights to the 2023 Asian Cup after China pulled Ali Mabkhout…UAE’s record goalscorer out and the continental tournament is expected to take place in January 2024. The Gulf Cup will be useful early preparation. United Arab Emirates missed out on the World Cup after losing to Australia in the Asian play-offs but coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena, appointed last February, is looking to bring some stability and some fresh faces to a team that has relied over the last decade on the creativity of Omar Abdulrahman and goals of Ali Mabkhout. Bahrain are defending champions but have struggled since and will have to be at their best to get out of the group. The same is true for Kuwait, who are record ten-time winners though only one of those victories have come this century. Both have Portuguese bosses and are looking for a more consistent philosophy across all age groups. Whoever lifts the trophy, the prize for Iraq off the pitch is a big one as the country returns to hosting international tournaments. It is the first time that the competition has gone to Iraq since 1979, when the Lions of Mesopotamia lifted the trophy in front of their own fans

t wasn’t that long ago that Singapore were top dogs in Southeast Asia, the football-loving part of the continent that is home to 650 million and has India to the west and China to the east. The Lions won the AFF Championship, the region’s biennial tournament, three times between 2004 and 2012, but they have failed to reach a final in 2022 AFF Championship The Association of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) Football Federation’s biennial tournament kicked off its 14th edition in December I the four editions since, getting out of their group just once. To make matters worse, their main ASEAN rivals have all qualified for the 2023 Asian Cup that will be played in Qatar in January 2024. Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand have all made it to the continental tournament to give Southeast Asia its biggest representation since 2007 when those four countries co-hosted. Singapore, however, missed out. Their Holders…Thailand won the 2020 AFF Championship qualification group took place in Kyrgyzstan and when they lost the opening game against the hosts, despite taking a second-half lead, it was always going to be an uphill battle. A subsequent1-0 defeat to Tajikistan ended any hopes and the last match, a 6-2 thrashing of Myanmar, was nothing more than a consolation. Those games were the first of coach Takayuki Nishigaya, a Japanese coach who succeeded compatriot Tatsuma Southeast Asia JOHN DUERDEN 88 WORLD SOCCER

New energy…Indonesia coach Shin Tae-yong WORLD SERVICE people – making strides as well. The headlines in the sprawling archipelago have been depressing ones of late with the stadium disaster in East Java in October resulting in the deaths of 135 fans still casting a deep shadow. There is hope for the national team though, as there have been signs of major improvement in recent years. Qualifying for the Asian Cup was a huge milestone for what is a young side, especially when the team went to Kuwait and won againstanational team that have been champions in the past. With Shin Tae-yong, who won the 2010 Asian Champions League with Seongnam and then led South Korea at the 2018 World Cup, in charge, there is a new energy in what really is one of football’s sleeping giants. Korean coaches are in vogue. Vietnam have recently overtaken Thailand to become the best in the region under the guidance of Park Hang-seo. The diminutive disciplinarian took the reins in 2017 and although he has injected some steel into a team that has long had talent, there is a feeling that he has taken them as far as he can. In January, this member of Guus Hiddink’s 2002 World Cup coaching staff will step down and leave it to someone else to turn Vietnam from a regional power into a continental force. If Park can deliver his second AFF Championship since taking over as his last act, then he really will leave with the grateful thanks of 98 million. Such a title would be widely celebrated. Asia is so big that there are a number of regional championships, although they are of varying significance for those involved. Neither South Korea nor Japan get too excited about winning the East Asian Championship, but doing badly can have consequences for coaches. South Asia can be a big deal, especially if India struggle, while there is excitement in the west. But the one that means the most is the Southeast Asian competition. Thailand are six-time champions and it won’t be a surprise if the War Elephants make it a magnificent seven, although Vietnam, triumphant in 2010 and 2018, could well lift the trophy for a third time when the second leg of the final takes place on January 16. Malaysia, another team with a South Korean coach in Kim Pan-gon, won in 2010 and are in a good place after securing a place at the Asian Cup for just the second time since1980, while Myanmar, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei make up the field. It is Singapore however, who will be the most desperate for success as 2023 starts, to show the rest of Southeast Asia that the Lions are stillaforce to be reckoned with. Pre-tournament clash…Vietnam defeated Singapore 4-0 in September Yoshida in the dugout. Friendlies in September brought a chastening 4-0 defeat to Vietnam and a1-1 draw with India. Nishigaya’s job is to prevent Singapore from slipping down to become a second-tier regional power, but there is much to do. Thailand and Vietnam have made strides over the years with the former reaching the final round of World Cup qualification, which contains just 12 teams, in 2018 and the latter doing the same for 2022. It is getting a little more difficult for a country with a population of 5.5 million to stay among the big boys, especially with Indonesia–with 275 million In a good place …Malaysia WORLD SOCCER 89 Asia is so big that there are a number of regional championships…but the one that means the most is the Southeast Asian competition

ot many national team coaches are forced to operate without almost their entire pool of domestic players, but Michael Weiss is making the best of having to rebuild the Laos team. As the German coach was taking over in January 2022, 45 of the country’s leading players – including 30 national team players – were banned for match-fixing. Weiss has had to focus on the youth sides and produced some surprising results. At the 2022 Asian Football Federation U19 Championship, Laos won their group and then shocked neighbours Thailand 2-0 in the semi-final before losing to Malaysia in the final. The subsequent U20 tournament was less successful, but Laos still beat Guam and ran Yemen and Palestine close. “People love football here,” says Weiss. “The players are very focused on football until 20 or 21, then they have to make a decision on what they want to do. The income is not enough to make a living.” Out of seven clubs in the 2022 Lao Premier League, only two – both from the capital Vientiane – are fulltime. Ezra are funded by a Christian church from South Korea. Champions Young Elephants employ most of the Starting from scratch Football in Laos is being rebuilt after the national team was decimated by a match-fixing scandal WORLD SERVICE remaining national team players, including highly-regarded winger Bounphachan Bounkong. The remaining players are part-time and this lack of money makes them financially vulnerable and easy prey for match-fixers. Some of the banned players are playing at clubs but will never return to a national team that has been completely rebuilt. Before taking on Brunei in a friendly in September, which Laos lost 1-0, Weiss was asked why he had brought his U23 team. “We now have a very limited pool of players, most are 25 years or younger,” says a phlegmatic Weiss, who has a plan to try to keep the promising younger generation in the game for longer. He explains: “We have to be more sustainable and find a way to support players through their studies or work so they can still play football. “We need a pool of 30 players who are employed by the federation or have jobs in the police or wherever. Whether it’s possible or not,Idon’t know. But we are constantly producing young players, mostly U21 and U23. In five years’ time, all these players we are developing, will they still be here?” Weiss has a three-year contract and his immediate priority is the 2022 AFF Championship, where he is targeting at least one win in a tough group with Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Myanmar, but his real ambitions lie with the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia. He adds: “The president promised me a training camp in Japan. With good preparations, maybe we can go for a medal.” His young Laos squad will gain experience at the AFF Championship and also benefit from the return of Billy Ketkeophomphone. Born in France, the striker had a decade of experience there including spells at Tours, Angers and Auxerre before moving in January 2022 to Malaysian club Sri Pahang, where he was beset by injuries. Ketkeophomphone is regaining fitness ahead of a likely move to Thailand and should be ready to lead the Laos line at the Southeast Asian Games and help Weiss’ young charges take the next step up. Highly regarded …Laos winger Bounphachan N Bounkong Star man…Billy Ketkeophomphone Laos STEVE MENARY The remaining players are part-time and this lack of money makes them financially vulnerable and easy prey for match-fixers. The banned players will never return to a national team that has been completely rebuilt 90 WORLD SOCCER

Coupe de France Once again, the French Cup has thrown up an improbable yet fascinating fixture. This time La Tamponnaise will travel thousands of miles, from the Indian Ocean island of Reunion to the south of France, to face fourth-tier side RC Grasse in the round of 64. The big boys also join the competition at this stage, with Paris Saint-Germain visiting third-tier side Chateauroux and Marseille travelling along the Cote d’Azur to face fourth-tier Hyeres. Serie A returns The Italian top flight resumes on Wednesday, January4with a full set of fixtures. The standout clash is between 2020-21 champions Inter and league leaders Napoli, who begin 2023 with an eight-point lead at the top of the table ahead of reigning champions Milan, and the chance to win their first Scudetto since1990. FA Cup third round One of the most famous matchdays in the English football calendar, the third round of the FA Cup, takes place on the weekend of January 7. Manchester City host Chelsea in the round’s most glamorous tie, while at the other end of the football pyramid non-league side Boreham Wood – the competition’s lowestranked team – will hope to extend their run when they host Accrington Stanley. WORLD SOCCER 91 WORLD SERVICE A Ligue 1 title race? In France, Ligue1 resumes in December, but all eyes will be on the top-of-the-table clash between Lens and Paris Saint-Germain on New Year’s Day. Unbeaten PSG have a five-point cushion over Franck Haise’s side, who won five consecutive games before the World Cup break. Lens need a positive result to keep the Ligue1 title race alive in 2023. Team to beat… Paris Saint-Germain Saudi Super Cups Saudi Arabia will host the finals of both the Spanish and Italian Super Cups. First, Real Madrid face Valencia and Real Betis take on Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Spanish edition ahead of the final on January 15. Then, three days later, city rivals Internazionale and Milan also face off in Riyadh in the Italian version. Holders…Inter won last year’s Super Coppa Global diary Games and dates to pencil in for the month ahead DECEMBER 30-JANUARY 20 5 unmissable matches • Arsenal v Newcastle United, January 3 Prior to the World Cup, these were two of the Premier League’s most in-form teams. This will be a stern test for both sides, with Arsenal hoping to remain in the title fight and Newcastle putting their top-four credentials to the test. • Atletico Madrid v Barcelona, January 8 A poor start to the season left Atletico Madrid outside La Liga’s top four and Diego Simeone facing questions over his future. How they fare against the league leaders will indicate whether there is life in the Argentine yet. • Real Sociedad v Athletic Bilbao, January14 These days, the Basque derby is more than just a local rivalry – it’s a battle for Champions League football. The two sides returned to league action lying in third and fourth place respectively, and will be desperate for a result here. • Manchester United v Manchester City, January14 If it’s anything like the first Manchester derby of the season, then this fixture promises goals aplenty. How Erik ten Hag reacts to United’s 6-3 defeat at the Etihad in October will be fascinating. • Benfica v Sporting, January15 The Lisbon derby usually provides an intense atmosphere and plenty of drama. Benfica are in danger of running away with the league title after12 wins in their first13 games, but Sporting will want to put to a stop to that. Demolition…Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick in the first Manchester derby of the campaign Bundesliga bounces back The German top flight will have been away for ten weeks by the time it resumes on Friday, January 20. Leaders Bayern Munich kick things off withavisit to third-placed RB Leipzig, while the high-flying surprise package Freiburg meet Wolfsburgaday later. With just nine points separating the top six clubs, it promises to be a fascinating second half to the campaign.

SQUADS WORLD CUP 2022 CAMEROON GOALKEEPERS 1 Simon NGAPANDOUETNBU (19) 12.04.03 Marseille (Fra) 16 Devis EPASSY (29) 02.02.93 Abha (KSA) 23 Andre ONANA (26) 02.04.96 Internazionale (Ita) DEFENDERS 3 Nicolas NKOULOU (32) 27.03.90 Aris (Gre) 4 Christopher WOOH (21) 18.09.01 Rennes (Fra) 17 Olivier MBAIZO (25) 15.08.97 Philadelphia Union (USA) 19 Collins FAI (30) 13.08.92 Al Tai (KSA) 21 Jean-Charles CASTELLETTO (27) 26.01.95 Nantes (Fra) 24 Enzo EBOSSE (23) 11.03.99 Udinese (Ita) 25 NOUHOU Tolo (25) 23.06.97 Seattle Sounders (USA) MIDFIELDERS 2 Jerome NGOM (24) 30.09.98 Colombe Sportive 5 Gael ONDOUA (27) 04.11.95 Hannover (Ger) 8 Andre-Frank ZAMBO ANGUISSA (27) 16.11.95 Napoli (Ita) 14 Samuel OUM GOUET (24) 14.12.97 Mechelen (Bel) 15 Pierre KUNDE (27) 26.07.95 Olympiakos (Gre) 18 Martin HONGLA (24) 16.03.98 Hellas Verona (Ita) 22 Olivier NTCHAM (26) 09.02.96 Swansea City (Wal) FORWARDS 6 Moumi NGAMALEU (28) 09.07.94 Dynamo Moscow (Rus) 7 Georges-Kevin NKOUDOU (27) 13.02.95 Besiktas (Tur) 9 Jean-Pierre NSAME (29) 01.05.93 Young Boys (Sui) 10 Vincent ABOUBAKAR (30) 22.01.92 Al Nassr (KSA) 11 Christian BASSOGOG (27) 18.10.95 Shanghai Shenhua (Chn) 12 Karl TOKO EKAMBI (30) 14.09.92 Lyon (Fra) 13 Eric Maxim CHOUPO-MOTING (33) 23.03.89 Bayern Munich (Ger) 20 Bryan MBEUMO (23) 07.08.99 Brentford (Eng) 26 Souaibou MAROU (21) 03.12.00 Coton Sport COACH Rigobert SONG (46) 01.07.76 CANADA GOALKEEPERS 1 Dayne ST CLAIR (25) 09.05.97 Minnesota Utd (USA) 16 James PANTEMIS (25) 21.02.97 CF Montreal 18 Milan BORJAN (35) 23.10.87 Red Star Belgrade (Srb) DEFENDERS 2 Alistair JOHNSTON (24) 08.10.98 CF Montreal 3 Sam ADEKUGBE (27) 16.01.95 Hatayspor (Tur) 4 Kamal MILLER (25) 16.05.97 CF Montreal 5 Steven VITORIA (35) 11.01.87 Chaves (Por) 22 Richie LARYEA (27) 07.01.95 Toronto FC 25 Derek CORNELIUS (24) 25.11.97 Panetolikos (Gre) 26 Joel WATERMAN (26) 24.01.96 CF Montreal MIDFIELDERS 6 Samuel PIETTE (28) 12.11.94 CF Montreal 7 Stephen EUSTAQUIO (25) 21.12.96 Porto (Por) 8 Liam FRASER (24) 13.02.98 Deinze (Bel) 13 Atiba HUTCHINSON (39) 08.02.83 Besiktas (Tur) 14 Mark-Anthony KAYE (27) 02.12.94 Toronto FC 15 Ismael KONE (20) 16.06.02 CF Montreal 21 Jonathan OSORIO (30) 12.06.92 Toronto FC 23 Liam MILLAR (23) 27.09.99 Basel (Sui) 24 David WOTHERSPOON (32) 16.01.90 St Johnstone (Sco) FORWARDS 9 Lucas CAVALLINI (29) 28.12.92 Vancouver Whitecaps 10 Junior HOILETT (32) 05.06.90 Reading (Eng) 11 Tajon BUCHANAN (23) 08.02.99 Club Brugge (Bel) 12 Ike UGBO (24) 21.09.98 Troyes (Fra) 17 Cyle LARIN (27) 17.04.95 Club Brugge (Bel) 19 Alphonso DAVIES (22) 02.11.00 Bayern Munich (Ger) 20 Jonathan DAVID (22) 14.01.00 Lille (Fra) COACH John HERDMAN (Eng) (47) 19.07.75 COSTA RICA GOALKEEPERS 1 Keylor NAVAS (35) 15.12.86 PSG (Fra) 18 Esteban ALVARADO (33) 28.04.89 Herediano 23 Patrick SEQUEIRA (23) 01.03.99 Lugo (Spa) DEFENDERS 3 Juan Pablo VARGAS (27) 06.06.95 Millonarios (Col) 4 Keysher FULLER (28) 12.07.94 Herediano 6 Oscar DUARTE (33) 03.06.89 Al Wehda (KSA) 8 Bryan OVIEDO (32) 18.02.90 Real Salt Lake (USA) 15 Francisco CALVO (30) 08.07.92 Konyaspor (Tur) 16 Carlos MARTINEZ (23) 30.03.99 San Carlos 19 Kendall WASTON (34) 01.01.88 Saprissa 22 Ronald MATARRITA (28) 09.07.94 FC Cincinnati (USA) MIDFIELDERS 2 Daniel CHACON (21) 11.04.01 Cartagines 5 Celso BORGES (34) 27.05.88 Alajuelense 10 Bryan RUIZ (37) 18.08.85 Alajuelense 13 Gerson TORRES (25) 28.08.97 Herediano 14 Youstin SALAS (26) 17.06.96 Saprissa 17 Yeltsin TEJEDA (30) 17.03.92 Herediano 20 Brandon AGUILERA (19) 28.06.03 Guanacasteca 21 Douglas LOPEZ (24) 21.09.98 Herediano 24 Roan WILSON (20) 01.05.02 Municipal Grecia 25 Anthony HERNANDEZ (21) 11.10.01 Puntarenas 26 Alvaro ZAMORA (20) 09.03.02 Saprissa FORWARDS 7 Anthony CONTRERAS (22) 29.01.00 Herediano 9 Jewison BENNETTE (18) 15.06.04 Sunderland (Eng) 11 Johan VENEGAS (33) 27.11.88 Alajuelense 12 Joel CAMPBELL (30) 26.06.92 Leon (Mex) COACH Luis Fernando SUAREZ (Col) (62) 23.12.59 CROATIA GOALKEEPERS 1 Dominik LIVAKOVIC (27) 09.01.95 Dinamo Zagreb 12 Ivo GRBIC (26) 18.01.96 Atletico Madrid (Spa) 23 Ivica IVUSIC (27) 01.02.95 Osijek DEFENDERS 2 Josip STANISIC (22) 02.04.00 Bayern Munich (Ger) 3 Borna BARISIC (30) 10.11.92 Rangers (Sco) 5 Martin ERLIC (24) 24.01.98 Sassuolo (Ita) 6 Dejan LOVREN (33) 05.07.89 Zenit (Rus) 19 Borna SOSA (24) 21.01.98 Stuttgart (Ger) 20 Josko GVARDIOL (20) 23.01.02 RB Leipzig (Ger) 21 Domagoj VIDA (33) 29.04.89 AEK Athens (Gre) 22 Josip JURANOVIC (27) 16.08.95 Celtic (Sco) 24 Josip SUTALO (22) 28.02.00 Dinamo Zagreb MIDFIELDERS 7 Lovro MAJER (24) 17.01.98 Rennes (Fra) 8 Mateo KOVACIC (28) 06.05.94 Chelsea (Eng) 10 Luka MODRIC (37) 09.09.85 Real Madrid (Spa) 11 Marcelo BROZOVIC (30) 16.11.92 Internazionale (Ita) 13 Nikola VLASIC (25) 04.10.97 Torino (Ita) 15 Mario PASALIC (27) 09.02.95 Atalanta (Ita) 25 Luka SUCIC (20) 08.09.02 RB Salzburg (Aut) 26 Kristijan JAKIC (25) 14.05.97 Eintract Frankfurt (Ger) FORWARDS 4 Ivan PERISIC (33) 02.02.89 Tottenham (Eng) 9 Andrej KRAMARIC (31) 19.06.91 Hoffenheim (Ger) 14 Marko LIVAJA (29) 26.08.93 Hajduk Split 16 Bruno PETKOVIC (28) 16.09.94 Dinamo Zagreb 17 Ante BUDIMIR (31) 22.07.91 Osasuna (Spa) 18 Mislav ORSIC (29) 29.12.92 Dinamo Zagreb COACH Zlatko DALIC (56) 26.10.66 ARGENTINA GOALKEEPERS 1 Franco ARMANI (36) 16.10.86 River Plate 12 Geronimo RULLI (30) 20.05.92 Villarreal (Spa) 23 Emiliano MARTINEZ (30) 02.09.92 Aston Villa (Eng) DEFENDERS 2 Juan FOYTH (24) 12.01.98 Villarreal (Spa) 3 Nicolas TAGLIAFICO (30) 31.08.92 Lyon (Fra) 4 Gonzalo MONTIEL (25) 01.01.97 Sevilla (Spa) 6 German PEZZELLA (31) 27.06.91 Real Betis (Spa) 8 Marcos ACUNA (31) 28.10.91 Sevilla (Spa) 13 Cristian ROMERO (24) 27.04.98 Tottenham (Eng) 19 Nicolas OTAMENDI (34) 12.02.88 Benfica (Por) 25 Lisandro MARTINEZ (24) 18.01.98 Manchester Utd (Eng) 26 Nahuel MOLINA (24) 06.04.98 Atletico Madrid (Spa) MIDFIELDERS 5 Leandro PAREDES (28) 29.06.94 Juventus (Ita) 7 Rodrigo DE PAUL (28) 24.05.94 Atletico Madrid (Spa) 14 Exequiel PALACIOS (24) 05.10.98 Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) 16 Thiago ALMADA (21) 26.04.01 Atlanta Utd (USA) 18 Guido RODRIGUEZ (28) 12.04.94 Real Betis (Spa) 20 Alexis MAC ALLISTER (23) 24.12.98 Brighton (Eng) 24 Enzo FERNANDEZ (21) 17.01.01 Benfica (Por) FORWARDS 9 Julian ALVAREZ (22) 31.01.00 Manchester City (Eng) 10 Lionel MESSI (35) 24.06.87 PSG (Fra) 11 Angel DI MARIA (34) 14.02.88 Juventus (Ita) 15 Angel CORREA (27) 09.03.95 Atletico Madrid (Spa) 17 Papu GOMEZ (34) 15.02.88 Sevilla (Spa) 21 Paulo DYBALA (29) 15.11.93 Roma (Ita) 22 Lautaro MARTINEZ (25) 22.08.97 Internazionale (Ita) COACH Lionel SCALONI (44) 16.05.78 AUSTRALIA GOALKEEPERS 1 Mathew RYAN (30) 08.04.92 Copenhagen (Den) 12 Andrew REDMAYNE (33) 13.01.89 Sydney FC 18 Danny VUKOVIC (37) 27.03.85 Central Coast Mariners DEFENDERS 2 Milos DEGENEK (28) 28.04.94 Columbus Crew (USA) 3 Nathaniel ATKINSON (23) 13.06.99 Hearts (Sco) 4 Kye ROWLES (24) 24.06.98 Hearts (Sco) 5 Fran KARACIC (26) 12.05.96 Brescia (Ita) 8 Bailey WRIGHT (30) 28.07.92 Sunderland (Eng) 16 Aziz BEHICH (31) 16.12.90 Dundee Utd (Sco) 19 Harry SOUTTAR (24) 22.10.98 Stoke City (Eng) 20 Thomas DENG (25) 20.03.97 Albirex Niigata (Jpn) 24 Joel KING (22) 30.10.00 OB (Den) MIDFIELDERS 10 Ajdin HRUSTIC (26) 05.07.96 Hellas Verona (Ita) 13 Aaron MOOY (32) 15.09.90 Celtic (Sco) 14 Riley McGREE (24) 02.11.98 Middlesbrough (Eng) 17 Cameron DEVLIN (24) 07.06.98 Hearts (Sco) 22 Jackson IRVINE (29) 07.03.93 St Pauli (Ger) 23 Craig GOODWIN (30) 16.12.91 Adelaide Utd 26 Keanu BACCUS (24) 07.06.98 St Mirren (Sco) FORWARDS 6 Marco TILLIO (21) 23.08.01 Melbourne City 7 Mathew LECKIE (31) 04.02.91 Melbourne City 9 Jamie MACLAREN (29) 29.07.93 Melbourne City 11 Awer MABIL (27) 15.09.95 Cadiz (Spa) 15 Mitchell DUKE (31) 18.01.91 Fagiano Okayama (Jpn) 21 Garang KUOL (18) 15.09.04 Central Coast Mariners 25 Jason CUMMINGS (27) 01.08.95 Central Coast Mariners COACH Graham ARNOLD (59) 03.08.63 BELGIUM GOALKEEPERS 1 Thibaut COURTOIS (30) 11.05.92 Real Madrid (Spa) 12 Simon MIGNOLET (34) 06.03.88 Club Brugge 13 Koen CASTEELS (30) 25.06.92 Wolfsburg (Ger) DEFENDERS 2 Toby ALDERWEIRELD (33) 02.03.89 Antwerp 3 Arthur THEATE (22) 25.05.00 Rennes (Fra) 4 Wout FAES (24) 03.04.98 Leicester City (Eng) 5 Jan VERTONGHEN (35) 24.04.87 Anderlecht 15 Thomas MEUNIER (31) 12.09.91 Borussia Dortmund (Ger) 21 Timothy CASTAGNE (26) 05.12.95 Leicester City (Eng) 26 Zeno DEBAST (19) 24.10.03 Anderlecht MIDFIELDERS 6 Axel WITSEL (33) 12.01.89 Atletico Madrid (Spa) 7 Kevin DE BRUYNE (31) 28.06.91 Manchester City (Eng) 8 Youri TIELEMANS (25) 07.05.97 Leicester City (Eng) 11 Yannick CARRASCO (29) 04.09.93 Atletico Madrid (Spa) 16 Thorgan HAZARD (29) 29.03.93 Borussia Dortmund (Ger) 18 Amadou ONANA (21) 16.08.01 Everton (Eng) 19 Leander DENDONCKER (27) 15.04.95 Aston Villa (Eng) 20 Hans VANAKEN (30) 24.08.92 Club Brugge FORWARDS 9 Romelu LUKAKU (29) 13.05.93 Internazionale (Ita) 10 Eden HAZARD (31) 07.01.91 Real Madrid (Spa) 14 Dries MERTENS (35) 06.05.87 Galatasaray (Tur) 17 Leandro TROSSARD (27) 04.12.94 Brighton (Eng) 22 Charles DE KETELAERE (21) 10.03.01 Milan (Ita) 23 Michy BATSHUAYI (29) 02.10.93 Fenerbahce (Tur) 24 Lois OPENDA (22) 16.02.00 Lens (Fra) 25 Jeremy DOKU (20) 27.05.02 Rennes (Fra) COACH Roberto MARTINEZ (Spa) (49) 13.07.73 BRAZIL GOALKEEPERS 1 ALISSON (30) 02.10.92 Liverpool (Eng) 12 WEVERTON (34) 13.12.87 Palmeiras 23 EDERSON (29) 17.08.93 Manchester City (Eng) DEFENDERS 2 DANILO (31) 15.07.91 Juventus (Ita) 3 THIAGO SILVA (38) 22.09.84 Chelsea (Eng) 4 MARQUINHOS (28) 14.05.94 PSG (Fra) 6 ALEX SANDRO (31) 26.01.91 Juventus (Ita) 13 DANI ALVES (39) 06.05.83 UNAM Pumas (Mex) 14 EDER MILITAO (24) 18.01.98 Real Madrid (Spa) 16 ALEX TELLES (29) 15.12.92 Sevilla (Spa) 24 BREMER (25) 18.03.97 Juventus (Ita) MIDFIELDERS 5 CASEMIRO (30) 23.02.92 Manchester Utd (Eng) 7 LUCAS PAQUETA (25) 27.08.97 West Ham Utd (Eng) 8 FRED (29) 05.03.93 Manchester Utd (Eng) 15 FABINHO (29) 23.10.93 Liverpool (Eng) 17 BRUNO GUIMARAES (25) 16.11.97 Newcastle Utd (Eng) 22 EVERTON RIBEIRO (33) 10.04.89 Flamengo FORWARDS 9 RICHARLISON (25) 10.05.97 Tottenham (Eng) 10 NEYMAR (30) 05.02.92 PSG (Fra) 11 RAPHINHA (25) 14.12.96 Barcelona (Spa) 18 GABRIEL JESUS (25) 03.04.97 Arsenal (Eng) 19 ANTONY (22) 24.02.00 Manchester Utd (Eng) 20 VINICIUS JUNIOR (22) 12.07.00 Real Madrid (Spa) 21 RODRYGO (21) 09.01.01 Real Madrid (Spa) 25 PEDRO (25) 20.06.97 Flamengo 26 Gabriel MARTINELLI (21) 18.06.01 Arsenal (Eng) COACH TITE (61) 25.05.61 92 WORLD SOCCER

SQUADS GERMANY GOALKEEPERS 1 Manuel NEUER (36) 27.03.86 Bayern Munich 12 Kevin TRAPP (32) 08.07.90 Eintract Frankfurt 22 Marc-Andre TER STEGEN (30) 30.04.92 Barcelona (Spa) DEFENDERS 2 Antonio RUDIGER (29) 03.03.93 Real Madrid (Spa) 3 David RAUM (24) 22.04.98 RB Leipzig 4 Matthias GINTER (28) 19.01.94 Freiburg 5 Thilo KEHRER (26) 21.09.96 West Ham Utd (Eng) 15 Niklas SULE (27) 03.09.95 Borussia Dortmund 16 Lukas KLOSTERMANN (26) 03.06.96 RB Leipzig 20 Christian GUNTER (29) 28.02.93 Freiburg 23 Nico SCHLOTTERBECK (22) 01.12.99 Borussia Dortmund 25 Armel BELLA-KOTCHAP (20) 11.12.01 Southampton (Eng) MIDFIELDERS 6 Joshua KIMMICH (27) 08.02.95 Bayern Munich 8 Leon GORETZKA (27) 06.02.95 Bayern Munich 11 Mario GOTZE (30) 03.06.92 Eintract Frankfurt 14 Jamal MUSIALA (19) 26.02.03 Bayern Munich 17 Julian BRANDT (26) 02.05.96 Borussia Dortmund 18 Jonas HOFMANN (30) 14.07.92 B. M’gladbach (Ger) 21 Ilkay GUNDOGAN (32) 24.10.90 Manchester City (Eng) FORWARDS 7 Kai HAVERTZ (23) 11.06.99 Chelsea (Eng) 9 Niclas FULLKRUG (29) 09.02.93 Werder Bremen 10 Serge GNABRY (27) 14.07.95 Bayern Munich 13 Thomas MULLER (33) 13.09.89 Bayern Munich 19 Leroy SANE (26) 11.01.96 Bayern Munich 24 Karim ADEYEMI (20) 18.01.02 Borussia Dortmund 26 Youssoufa MOUKOKO (18) 20.11.04 Borussia Dortmund COACH Hansi FLICK (57) 24.02.65 GHANA GOALKEEPERS 1 Lawrence ATI-ZIGI (25) 29.11.96 St Gallen (Sui) 12 Ibrahim DANLAD (19) 02.12.02 Asante Kotoko 16 Abdul Manaf NURUDEEN (23) 08.02.99 Eupen (Bel) DEFENDERS 2 Tariq LAMPTEY (22) 30.09.00 Brighton (Eng) 3 Denis ODOI (34) 27.05.88 Club Brugge (Bel) 4 Mohammed SALISU (23) 17.04.99 Southampton (Eng) 14 Gideon MENSAH (24) 18.07.98 Auxerre (Fra) 15 Joseph AIDOO (27) 29.09.95 Celta Vigo (Spa) 17 Abdul BABA RAHMAN (28) 02.07.94 Reading (Eng) 18 Daniel AMARTEY (27) 21.12.94 Leicester City (Eng) 23 Alexander DJIKU (28) 09.08.94 Strasbourg (Fra) 26 Alidu SEIDU (22) 04.06.00 Clermont (Fra) MIDFIELDERS 5 Thomas PARTEY (29) 13.06.93 Arsenal (Eng) 6 Elisha OWUSU (25) 07.11.97 Gent (Bel) 8 Daniel-Kofi KYEREH (26) 08.03.96 Freiburg (Ger) 20 Mohammed KUDUS (22) 02.08.00 Ajax (Ned) 21 Salis ABDUL-SAMED (22) 26.03.00 Lens (Fra) FORWARDS 7 Abdul FATAWU ISSAHAKU (18) 08.03.04 Sporting (Por) 9 Jordan AYEW (31) 11.09.91 Crystal Palace (Eng) 10 Andre AYEW (32) 17.12.89 Al Sadd (Qat) 11 Osman BUKARI (23) 13.12.98 Red Star Belgrade (Srb) 13 Daniel AFRIYIE-BARNIEH (21) 26.06.01 Hearts of Oak 19 Inaki WILLIAMS (28) 15.06.94 Athletic Bilbao (Spa) 22 KAMALDEEN Sulemana (20) 15.02.02 Rennes (Fra) 24 Kamal SOWAH (22) 09.01.00 Club Brugge (Bel) 25 Antoine SEMENYO (22) 07.01.00 Bristol City (Eng) COACH Otto ADDO (47) 09.06.75 IRAN GOALKEEPERS 1 Alireza BEYRANVAND (30) 21.09.92 Persepolis 12 Payam NIAZMAND (27) 06.04.95 Sepahan 22 Amir ABEDZADEH (29) 26.04.93 Ponferradina (Spa) 24 Hossein HOSSEINI (30) 30.06.92 Esteghlal DEFENDERS 2 Sadegh MOHARRAMI (26) 01.03.96 Dinamo Zagreb (Cro) 4 Shojae KHALILZADEH (33) 14.05.89 Al Ahli (Qat) 5 Milad MOHAMMADI (29) 29.09.93 AEK Athens (Gre) 8 Morteza POURALIGANJI (30) 19.04.92 Persepolis 13 Hossein KANAANIZADEGAN (28) 23.03.94 Al Ahli (Qat) 15 Rouzbeh CHESHMI (29) 24.07.93 Esteghlal 19 Majid HOSSEINI (26) 20.06.96 Kayserispor (Tur) 23 Ramin REZAEIAN (32) 21.03.90 Sepahan 25 Abolfazl JALALI (24) 26.06.98 Esteghlal MIDFIELDERS 3 Ehsan HAJISAFI (32) 25.02.90 AEK Athens (Gre) 6 Saeid EZATOLAHI (26) 01.10.96 Vejle (Den) 11 Vahid AMIRI (34) 02.04.88 Persepolis 14 Saman GHODDOS (29) 06.09.93 Brentford (Eng) 16 Mehdi TORABI (28) 10.09.94 Persepolis 17 Ali GHOLIZADEH (26) 10.03.96 Charleroi (Bel) 18 Ali KARIMI (28) 11.02.94 Kayserispor (Tur) 21 Ahmad NOOROLLAHI (29) 01.02.93 Shabab Al Ahli (UAE) FORWARDS 7 Alireza JAHANBAKHSH (29) 11.08.93 Feyenoord (Ned) 9 Mehdi TAREMI (30) 18.07.92 Porto (Por) 10 Karim ANSARIFARD (32) 03.04.90 Omonia (Cyp) 20 Sardar AZMOUN (27) 01.01.95 Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) COACH Carlos QUEIROZ (Por) (69) 01.03.53 JAPAN GOALKEEPERS 1 Eiji KAWASHIMA (39) 20.03.83 Strasbourg (Fra) 12 Shuichi GONDA (33) 03.03.89 Shimizu S-Pulse 23 Daniel SCHMIDT (30) 03.02.92 Sint-Truiden (Bel) DEFENDERS 2 Miki YAMANE (28) 22.12.93 Kawasaki Frontale 3 Shogo TANIGUCHI (31) 15.07.91 Kawasaki Frontale 4 Ko ITAKURA (25) 27.01.97 B. M’gladbach (Ger) 5 Yuto NAGATOMO (36) 12.09.86 FC Tokyo 16 Takehiro TOMIYASU (24) 05.11.98 Arsenal (Eng) 19 Hiroki SAKAI (32) 12.04.90 Urawa Red Diamonds 22 Maya YOSHIDA (34) 24.08.88 Schalke (Ger) 26 Hiroki ITO (23) 12.05.99 Stuttgart (Ger) MIDFIELDERS 6 Wataru ENDO (29) 09.02.93 Stuttgart (Ger) 7 Gaku SHIBASAKI (30) 28.05.92 Leganes (Spa) 10 Takumi MINAMINO (27) 16.01.95 Monaco (Fra) 11 Takefusa KUBO (21) 04.06.01 Real Sociedad (Spa) 13 Hidemasa MORITA (27) 10.05.95 Sporting (Por) 15 Daichi KAMADA (26) 05.08.96 Eintract Frankfurt (Ger) 17 Ao TANAKA (24) 10.09.98 Fortuna Dusseldorf (Ger) 24 Yuki SOMA (25) 25.02.97 Nagoya Grampus FORWARDS 8 Ritsu DOAN (24) 16.06.98 Freiburg (Ger) 9 Kaoru MITOMA (25) 20.05.97 Brighton (Eng) 14 Junya ITO (29) 09.03.93 Reims (Fra) 18 Takuma ASANO (28) 10.11.94 Bochum (Ger) 20 Shuto MACHINO (23) 30.09.99 Shonan Bellmare 21 Ayase UEDA (24) 28.08.98 Cercle Brugge (Bel) 25 Daizen MAEDA (25) 20.10.97 Celtic (Sco) COACH Hajime MORIYASU (54) 23.08.68 (Clubs and ages as of 20.11.22) DENMARK GOALKEEPERS 1 Kasper SCHMEICHEL (36) 05.11.86 Nice (Fra) 16 Oliver CHRISTENSEN (23) 22.03.99 Hertha Berlin (Ger) 22 Frederik RONNOW (30) 04.08.92 Union Berlin (Ger) DEFENDERS 2 Joachim ANDERSEN (26) 31.05.96 Crystal Palace (Eng) 3 Victor NELSSON (24) 14.10.98 Galatasaray (Tur) 4 Simon KJAER (33) 26.03.89 Milan (Ita) 5 Joakim MAEHLE (25) 20.05.97 Atalanta (Ita) 6 Andreas CHRISTENSEN (26) 10.04.96 Barcelona (Spa) 13 Rasmus KRISTENSEN (25) 11.07.97 Leeds Utd (Eng) 17 Jens STRYGER LARSEN (31) 21.02.91 Trabzonspor (Tur) 18 Daniel WASS (33) 31.05.89 Brondby 26 Alexander BAH (24) 09.12.97 Benfica (Por) MIDFIELDERS 7 Mathias JENSEN (26) 01.01.96 Brentford (Eng) 8 Thomas DELANEY (31) 03.09.91 Sevilla (Spa) 10 Christian ERIKSEN (30) 14.02.92 Manchester Utd (Eng) 14 Mikkel DAMSGAARD (22) 03.07.00 Brentford (Eng) 15 Christian NORGAARD (28) 10.03.94 Brentford (Eng) 23 Pierre-Emile HOJBJERG (27) 05.08.95 Tottenham (Eng) 25 Jesper LINDSTROM (22) 29.02.00 Eintract Frankfurt (Ger) FORWARDS 9 Martin BRAITHWAITE (31) 05.06.91 Espanyol (Spa) 11 Andreas SKOV OLSEN (22) 29.12.99 Club Brugge (Bel) 12 Kasper DOLBERG (25) 06.10.97 Sevilla (Spa) 19 Jonas WIND (23) 07.02.99 Wolfsburg (Ger) 20 Yussuf POULSEN (28) 15.06.94 RB Leipzig (Ger) 21 Andreas CORNELIUS (29) 16.03.93 Copenhagen 24 Robert SKOV (26) 20.05.96 Hoffenheim (Ger) COACH Kasper HJULMAND (50) 09.04.72 ECUADOR GOALKEEPERS 1 Hernan GALINDEZ (35) 30.03.87 Aucas 12 Moises RAMIREZ (22) 09.09.00 Independiente del Valle 22 Alexander DOMINGUEZ (35) 05.06.87 LDU Quito DEFENDERS 2 Felix TORRES (25) 11.01.97 Santos Laguna (Mex) 3 Piero HINCAPIE (20) 09.01.02 Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) 4 Robert ARBOLEDA (31) 22.10.91 Sao Paulo (Bra) 6 William PACHO (21) 16.10.01 Antwerp (Bel) 7 Pervis ESTUPINAN (24) 21.01.98 Brighton (Eng) 14 Xavier ARREAGA (28) 28.09.94 Seattle Sounders (USA) 17 Angelo PRECIADO (24) 18.02.98 Genk (Bel) 18 Diego PALACIOS (23) 12.07.99 LAFC (USA) 25 Jackson POROZO (22) 04.08.00 Troyes (Fra) MIDFIELDERS 5 Jose CIFUENTES (23) 12.03.99 LAFC (USA) 8 Carlos GRUEZO (27) 19.04.95 Augsburg (Ger) 15 Angel MENA (34) 21.01.88 Leon (Mex) 16 Jeremy SARMIENTO (20) 16.06.02 Brighton (Eng) 19 Gonzalo PLATA (22) 01.11.00 Real Valladolid (Spa) 20 Jhegson MENDEZ (25) 26.04.97 LAFC (USA) 21 Alan FRANCO (24) 21.08.98 Talleres (Arg) 23 Moises CAICEDO (21) 02.11.01 Brighton (Eng) FORWARDS 9 Ayrton PRECIADO (28) 17.07.94 Santos Laguna (Mex) 10 Romario IBARRA (28) 24.09.94 Pachuca (Mex) 11 Michael ESTRADA (26) 07.04.96 Cruz Azul (Mex) 13 Enner VALENCIA (33) 04.11.89 Fenerbahce (Tur) 24 Djorkaeff REASCO (23) 18.01.99 Newell’s Old Boys (Arg) 26 Kevin RODRIGUEZ (22) 04.03.00 Imbabura COACH Gustavo ALFARO (Arg) (60) 14.08.62 ENGLAND GOALKEEPERS 1 Jordan PICKFORD (28) 07.03.94 Everton 13 Nick POPE (30) 19.04.92 Newcastle Utd 23 Aaron RAMSDALE (24) 14.05.98 Arsenal DEFENDERS 2 Kyle WALKER (32) 28.05.90 Manchester City 3 Luke SHAW (27) 12.07.95 Manchester Utd 5 John STONES (28) 28.05.94 Manchester City 6 Harry MAGUIRE (29) 05.03.93 Manchester Utd 12 Kieran TRIPPIER (32) 19.09.90 Newcastle Utd 15 Eric DIER (28) 15.01.94 Tottenham 16 Conor COADY (29) 25.02.93 Everton 18 Trent ALEXANDER-ARNOLD (24) 07.10.98 Liverpool 21 Ben WHITE (25) 08.10.97 Arsenal MIDFIELDERS 4 Declan RICE (23) 14.01.99 West Ham Utd 8 Jordan HENDERSON (32) 17.06.90 Liverpool 14 Kalvin PHILLIPS (26) 02.12.95 Manchester City 19 Mason MOUNT (23) 10.01.99 Chelsea 22 Jude BELLINGHAM (19) 29.06.03 Borussia Dortmund (Ger) 25 James MADDISON (25) 23.11.96 Leicester City 26 Conor GALLAGHER (22) 06.02.00 Chelsea FORWARDS 7 Jack GREALISH (27) 10.09.95 Manchester City 9 Harry KANE (29) 28.07.93 Tottenham 10 Raheem STERLING (27) 08.12.94 Chelsea 11 Marcus RASHFORD (25) 31.10.97 Manchester Utd 17 Bukayo SAKA (21) 05.09.01 Arsenal 20 Phil FODEN (22) 28.05.00 Manchester City 24 Callum WILSON (30) 27.02.92 Newcastle Utd COACH Gareth SOUTHGATE (52) 03.09.70 FRANCE GOALKEEPERS 1 Hugo LLORIS (35) 26.12.86 Tottenham (Eng) 16 Steve MANDANDA (37) 28.03.85 Rennes 23 Alphonse AREOLA (29) 27.02.93 West Ham Utd (Eng) DEFENDERS 2 Benjamin PAVARD (26) 28.03.96 Bayern Munich (Ger) 3 Axel DISASI (24) 11.03.98 Monaco 4 Raphael VARANE (29) 25.04.93 Manchester Utd (Eng) 5 Jules KOUNDE (24) 12.11.98 Barcelona (Spa) 17 William SALIBA (21) 24.03.01 Arsenal (Eng) 18 Dayot UPAMECANO (24) 27.10.98 Bayern Munich (Ger) 21 Lucas HERNANDEZ (26) 14.02.96 Bayern Munich (Ger) 22 Theo HERNANDEZ (25) 06.10.97 Milan (Ita) 24 Ibrahima KONATE (23) 25.05.99 Liverpool (Eng) MIDFIELDERS 6 Matteo GUENDOUZI (23) 14.04.99 Marseille 8 Aurelien TCHOUAMENI (22) 27.01.00 Real Madrid (Spa) 13 Youssouf FOFANA (23) 10.01.99 Monaco 14 Adrien RABIOT (27) 03.04.95 Juventus (Ita) 15 Jordan VERETOUT (29) 01.03.93 Marseille 25 Eduardo CAMAVINGA (20) 10.11.02 Real Madrid (Spa) FORWARDS 7 Antoine GRIEZMANN (31) 21.03.91 Atletico Madrid (Spa) 9 Olivier GIROUD (36) 30.09.86 Milan (Ita) 10 Kylian MBAPPE (23) 20.12.98 PSG 11 Ousmane DEMBELE (25) 15.05.97 Barcelona (Spa) 12 Randal KOLO MUANI (23) 05.12.98 Eintract Frankfurt (Ger) 19 Karim BENZEMA (34) 19.12.87 Real Madrid (Spa) 20 Kingsley COMAN (26) 13.06.96 Bayern Munich (Ger) 26 Marcus THURAM (25) 06.08.97 B. M’gladbach (Ger) COACH Didier DESCHAMPS (54) 15.10.68 WORLD SOCCER 93

SQUADS WORLD CUP 2022 PORTUGAL GOALKEEPERS 1 Rui PATRICIO (34) 15.02.88 Roma (Ita) 12 Jose SA (29) 17.01.93 Wolves (Eng) 22 Diogo COSTA (23) 19.09.99 Porto DEFENDERS 2 Diogo DALOT (23) 18.03.99 Manchester Utd (Eng) 3 PEPE (39) 26.02.83 Porto 4 Ruben DIAS (25) 14.05.97 Manchester City (Eng) 5 Raphael GUERREIRO (28) 22.12.93 Borussia Dortmund (Ger) 13 DANILO Pereira (31) 09.09.91 PSG (Fra) 19 Nuno MENDES (20) 19.06.02 PSG (Fra) 20 Joao CANCELO (28) 27.05.94 Manchester City (Eng) 24 ANTONIO SILVA (19) 30.10.03 Benfica MIDFIELDERS 6 Joao PALHINHA (27) 09.07.95 Fulham (Eng) 8 Bruno FERNANDES (28) 08.09.94 Manchester Utd (Eng) 10 BERNARDO SILVA (28) 10.08.94 Manchester City (Eng) 14 WILLIAM Carvalho (30) 07.04.92 Real Betis (Spa) 16 VITINHA (22) 13.02.00 PSG (Fra) 17 Joao MARIO (29) 19.01.93 Benfica 18 Ruben NEVES (25) 13.03.97 Wolves (Eng) 23 MATHEUS NUNES (24) 27.08.98 Wolves (Eng) 25 OTAVIO (27) 09.02.95 Porto FORWARDS 7 Cristiano RONALDO (37) 05.02.85 Manchester Utd (Eng) 9 ANDRE SILVA (27) 06.11.95 RB Leipzig (Ger) 11 JOAO FELIX (23) 10.11.99 Atletico Madrid (Spa) 15 Rafael LEAO (23) 10.06.99 Milan (Ita) 21 Ricardo HORTA (28) 15.09.94 Braga 26 Goncalo RAMOS (21) 20.06.01 Benfica COACH Fernando SANTOS (68) 10.10.54 QATAR GOALKEEPERS 1 Saad AL SHEEB (32) 19.02.90 Al Sadd 21 Yousef HASSAN (26) 24.05.96 Al Gharafa 22 Meshaal BARSHAM (24) 14.02.98 Al Sadd DEFENDERS 2 PEDRO MIGUEL (32) 06.08.90 Al Sadd 3 Abdelkarim HASSAN (29) 28.08.93 Al Sadd 4 Mohammed WAAD (23) 18.09.99 Al Sadd 5 Tarek SALMAN (24) 05.12.97 Al Sadd 13 Musaab KHEDER (29) 01.01.93 Al Sadd 14 HOMAM Ahmed (23) 25.08.99 Al Gharafa 15 Bassam AL RAWI (24) 16.12.97 Al Duhail 16 Boualem KHOUKHI (32) 09.07.90 Al Sadd 17 Ismail MOHAMMAD (32) 05.04.90 Al Duhail 25 Jassem GABER (20) 20.02.02 Al Arabi MIDFIELDERS 6 Abdulaziz HATEM (32) 01.01.90 Al Rayyan 8 Ali ASAD (29) 19.01.93 Al Sadd 12 Karim BOUDIAF (32) 16.09.90 Al Duhail 20 Salem AL HAJRI (26) 10.04.96 Al Sadd 23 Assim MADIBO (26) 22.10.96 Al Duhail 24 Naif AL HADHRAMI (21) 18.07.01 Al Rayyan 26 Mostafa MESHAAL (21) 28.03.01 Al Sadd FORWARDS 7 Ahmed ALAAELDIN (29) 31.01.93 Al Gharafa 9 Mohammed MUNTARI (28) 20.12.93 Al Duhail 10 Hassan AL HAYDOS (31) 11.12.90 Al Sadd 11 Akram AFIF (26) 18.11.96 Al Sadd 18 Khalid MUNEER (24) 24.02.98 Al Wakrah 19 ALMOEZ Ali (26) 19.08.96 Al Duhail COACH Felix SANCHEZ (Spa) (46) 13.12.75 SAUDI ARABIA GOALKEEPERS 1 Mohammed AL RUBAIE (25) 14.08.97 Al Ahli 21 Mohammed AL OWAIS (31) 10.10.91 Al Hilal 22 Nawaf AL AQIDI (22) 10.05.00 Al Nassr DEFENDERS 2 Sultan AL GHANNAM (28) 06.05.94 Al Nassr 3 Abdullah MADU (29) 15.07.93 Al Nassr 4 Abdulelah AL AMRI (25) 15.01.97 Al Nassr 5 Ali AL BULAYHI (32) 21.11.89 Al Hilal 6 Mohammed AL BURAYK (30) 15.09.92 Al Hilal 12 Saud ABDULHAMID (23) 18.07.99 Al Hilal 13 Yasser AL SHAHRANI (30) 25.05.92 Al Hilal 17 Hassan AL TAMBAKTI (23) 09.02.99 Al Shabab MIDFIELDERS 7 Salman AL FARAJ (33) 01.08.89 Al Hilal 8 Abdulellah AL MALKI (28) 11.10.94 Al Hilal 14 Abdullah OTAYF (30) 03.08.92 Al Hilal 15 Ali AL HASSAN (25) 04.03.97 Al Nassr 16 Sami AL NAJEI (25) 07.02.97 Al Nassr 18 Nawaf AL ABED (32) 26.01.90 Al Shabab 23 Mohamed KANNO (28) 22.09.94 Al Hilal 24 Nasser AL DAWSARI (23) 19.12.98 Al Hilal 26 Riyadh SHARAHILI (29) 28.04.93 Abha FORWARDS 9 Firas AL BURAIKAN (22) 14.05.00 Al Fateh 10 Salem AL DAWSARI (31) 19.08.91 Al Hilal 11 Saleh AL SHEHRI (29) 01.11.93 Al Hilal 19 Hattan BAHEBRI (30) 16.07.92 Al Shabab 20 Abdulrahman AL OBUD (27) 01.06.95 Al Ittihad 25 Haitham ASIRI (21) 25.03.01 Al Ahli COACH Herve RENARD (Fra) (54) 30.09.68 SENEGAL GOALKEEPERS 1 Seny DIENG (27) 23.11.94 QPR (Eng) 16 Edouard MENDY (30) 01.03.92 Chelsea (Eng) 23 Alfred GOMIS (29) 05.09.93 Rennes (Fra) DEFENDERS 2 Formose MENDY (21) 02.01.01 Amiens (Fra) 3 Kalidou KOULIBALY (31) 20.06.91 Chelsea (Eng) 4 Pape Abou CISSE (27) 14.09.95 Olympiakos (Gre) 10 Moussa NDIAYE (20) 18.06.02 Anderlecht (Bel) 12 Fode BALLO-TOURE (25) 03.01.97 Milan (Ita) 14 Ismail JAKOBS (23) 17.08.99 Monaco (Fra) 21 Youssouf SABALY (29) 05.03.93 Real Betis (Spa) 22 Abdou DIALLO (26) 04.05.96 RB Leipzig (Ger) 24 Moustapha NAME (27) 05.05.95 Pafos (Cyp) MIDFIELDERS 5 Idrissa Gana GUEYE (33) 26.09.89 Everton (Eng) 6 Nampalys MENDY (30) 23.06.92 Leicester City (Eng) 8 Cheikhou KOUYATE (32) 21.12.89 Nott’m Forest (Eng) 11 Pathe CISS (28) 16.03.94 Rayo Vallecano (Spa) 15 Krepin DIATTA (23) 25.02.99 Monaco (Fra) 17 Pape Matar SARR (20) 14.09.02 Tottenham (Eng) 25 Mamadou LOUM (25) 30.12.96 Reading (Eng) 26 Pape GUEYE (23) 24.01.99 Marseille (Fra) FORWARDS 7 Nicolas JACKSON (21) 20.06.01 Villarreal (Spa) 9 Boulaye DIA (26) 16.11.96 Salernitana (Ita) 13 Iliman NDIAYE (22) 06.03.00 Sheffield Utd (Eng) 18 Ismaila SARR (24) 25.02.98 Watford (Eng) 19 Famara DIEDHIOU (29) 15.12.92 Alanyaspor (Tur) 20 Bamba DIENG (22) 23.03.00 Marseille (Fra) COACH Aliou CISSE (46) 24.03.76 MEXICO GOALKEEPERS 1 Alfredo TALAVERA (40) 18.09.82 Juarez 12 Rodolfo COTA (35) 03.07.87 Leon 13 Guillermo OCHOA (37) 13.07.85 America DEFENDERS 2 Nestor ARAUJO (31) 29.08.91 America 3 Cesar MONTES (25) 24.02.97 Monterrey 5 Johan VASQUEZ (24) 22.10.98 Cremonese (Ita) 6 Gerardo ARTEAGA (24) 07.09.98 Genk (Bel) 15 Hector MORENO (34) 17.01.88 Monterrey 19 Jorge SANCHEZ (24) 10.12.97 Ajax (Ned) 23 Jesus GALLARDO (28) 15.08.94 Monterrey 26 Kevin ALVAREZ (23) 15.01.99 Pachuca MIDFIELDERS 4 Edson ALVAREZ (25) 24.10.97 Ajax (Ned) 7 Luis ROMO (27) 05.06.95 Monterrey 8 Carlos RODRIGUEZ (25) 03.01.97 Cruz Azul 14 Erick GUTIERREZ (27) 15.06.95 PSV (Ned) 16 Hector HERRERA (32) 19.04.90 Houston Dynamo (USA) 18 Andres GUARDADO (36) 28.09.86 Real Betis (Spa) 24 Luis CHAVEZ (26) 15.01.96 Pachuca FORWARDS 9 Raul JIMENEZ (31) 05.05.91 Wolves (Eng) 10 Alexis VEGA (24) 25.11.97 Guadalajara 11 Rogelio FUNES MORI (31) 05.03.91 Monterrey 17 Orbelin PINEDA (26) 24.03.96 AEK Athens (Gre) 20 Henry MARTIN (30) 18.11.92 America 21 Uriel ANTUNA (25) 21.08.97 Cruz Azul 22 Hirving LOZANO (27) 30.07.95 Napoli (Ita) 25 Roberto ALVARADO (24) 07.09.98 Guadalajara COACH Tata MARTINO (Arg) (60) 20.11.62 MOROCCO GOALKEEPERS 1 Yassine BOUNOU (31) 05.04.91 Sevilla (Spa) 12 MUNIR Mohamedi El Kajoui (33) 10.05.89 Al Wehda (KSA) 22 Ahmed Reda TAGNAOUTI (26) 05.04.96 Wydad AC DEFENDERS 2 Achraf HAKIMI (24) 04.11.98 PSG (Fra) 3 Noussair MAZRAOUI (25) 14.11.97 Bayern Munich (Ger) 5 Nayef AGUERD (26) 30.03.96 West Ham Utd (Eng) 6 Romain SAISS (32) 26.03.90 Besiktas (Tur) 18 Jawad EL YAMIQ (30) 29.02.92 Real Valladolid (Spa) 20 Achraf DARI (23) 06.05.99 Brest (Fra) 24 Badr BENOUN (29) 30.09.93 Qatar SC (Qat) 25 Yahia ATTIAT ALLAH (27) 02.03.95 Wydad AC MIDFIELDERS 4 Sofyan AMRABAT (26) 21.08.96 Fiorentina (Ita) 8 Azzedine OUNAHI (22) 19.04.00 Angers (Fra) 11 Abdelhamid SABIRI (25) 28.11.96 Sampdoria (Ita) 15 Selim AMALLAH (26) 15.11.96 Standard Liege (Bel) 23 Bilal EL KHANNOUSS (18) 10.05.04 Genk (Bel) 26 Yahya JABRANE (31) 18.06.91 Wydad AC FORWARDS 7 Hakim ZIYECH (29) 19.03.93 Chelsea (Eng) 9 Abderrazak HAMDALLAH (31) 17.12.90 Al Ittihad (KSA) 10 Anass ZAROURY (22) 07.11.00 Burnley (Eng) 13 Ilias CHAIR (25) 30.10.97 QPR (Eng) 14 Zakaria ABOUKHLAL (22) 18.02.00 Toulouse (Fra) 16 Abde EZZALZOULI (20) 17.12.01 Osasuna (Spa) 17 Sofiane BOUFAL (29) 17.09.93 Angers (Fra) 19 Youssef EN-NESYRI (25) 01.06.97 Sevilla (Spa) 21 Walid CHEDDIRA (24) 22.01.98 Bari (Ita) COACH Walid REGRAGUI (47) 23.09.75 NETHERLANDS GOALKEEPERS 1 Remko PASVEER (39) 08.11.83 Ajax 13 Justin BIJLOW (24) 22.01.98 Feyenoord 23 Andries NOPPERT (28) 07.04.94 Heerenveen DEFENDERS 2 Jurrien TIMBER (21) 17.06.01 Ajax 3 Matthijs DE LIGT (23) 12.08.99 Bayern Munich (Ger) 4 Virgil VAN DIJK (31) 08.07.91 Liverpool (Eng) 5 Nathan AKE (27) 18.02.95 Manchester City (Eng) 6 Stefan DE VRIJ (30) 05.02.92 Internazionale (Ita) 16 Tyrell MALACIA (23) 17.08.99 Manchester Utd (Eng) 17 Daley BLIND (32) 09.03.90 Ajax 22 Denzel DUMFRIES (26) 18.04.96 Internazionale (Ita) 26 Jeremie FRIMPONG (21) 10.12.00 Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) MIDFIELDERS 11 Steven BERGHUIS (30) 19.12.91 Ajax 14 Davy KLAASSEN (29) 21.02.93 Ajax 15 Marten DE ROON (31) 29.03.91 Atalanta (Ita) 20 Teun KOOPMEINERS (24) 28.02.98 Atalanta (Ita) 21 Frenkie DE JONG (25) 12.05.97 Barcelona (Spa) 24 Kenneth TAYLOR (20) 16.05.02 Ajax 25 Xavi SIMONS (19) 21.04.03 PSV FORWARDS 7 Steven BERGWIJN (25) 08.10.97 Ajax 8 Cody GAKPO (23) 07.05.99 PSV 9 Luuk DE JONG (32) 27.08.90 PSV 10 Memphis DEPAY (28) 13.02.94 Barcelona (Spa) 12 Noa LANG (23) 17.06.99 Club Brugge (Bel) 18 Vincent JANSSEN (28) 15.06.94 Antwerp (Bel) 19 Wout WEGHORST (30) 07.08.92 Besiktas (Tur) COACH Louis VAN GAAL (71) 08.08.51 POLAND GOALKEEPERS 1 Wojciech SZCZESNY (32) 18.04.90 Juventus (Ita) 12 Lukasz SKORUPSKI (31) 05.05.91 Bologna (Ita) 22 Kamil GRABARA (23) 08.01.99 Copenhagen (Den) DEFENDERS 2 Matty CASH (25) 07.08.97 Aston Villa (Eng) 3 Artur JEDRZEJCZYK (35) 04.11.87 Legia Warsaw 4 Mateusz WIETESKA (25) 11.02.97 Clermont (Fra) 5 Jan BEDNAREK (26) 12.04.96 Aston Villa (Eng) 14 Jakub KIWIOR (22) 15.02.00 Spezia (Ita) 15 Kamil GLIK (34) 03.02.88 Benevento (Ita) 18 Bartosz BERESZYNSKI (30) 12.07.92 Sampdoria (Ita) 25 Robert GUMNY (24) 04.06.98 Augsburg (Ger) MIDFIELDERS 6 Krystian BIELIK (24) 04.01.98 Birmingham City (Eng) 8 Damian SZYMANSKI (27) 16.06.95 AEK Athens (Gre) 10 Grzegorz KRYCHOWIAK (32) 29.01.90 Al Shabab (KSA) 11 Kamil GROSICKI (34) 08.06.88 Pogon Szczecin 13 Jakub KAMINSKI (20) 05.06.02 Wolfsburg (Ger) 17 Szymon ZURKOWSKI (25) 25.09.97 Fiorentina (Ita) 19 Sebastian SZYMANSKI (23) 10.05.99 Feyenoord (Ned) 20 Piotr ZIELINSKI (28) 20.05.94 Napoli (Ita) 21 Nicola ZALEWSKI (20) 23.01.02 Roma (Ita) 24 Przemyslaw FRANKOWSKI (27) 12.04.95 Lens (Fra) 26 Michal SKORAS (22) 15.02.00 Lech Poznan FORWARDS 7 Arkadiusz MILIK (28) 28.02.94 Juventus (Ita) 9 Robert LEWANDOWSKI (34) 21.08.88 Barcelona (Spa) 16 Karol SWIDERSKI (25) 23.01.97 Charlotte FC (USA) 23 Krzysztof PIATEK (27) 01.07.95 Salernitana (Ita) COACH Czeslaw MICHNIEWICZ (52) 12.02.1970 94 WORLD SOCCER

SQUADS TUNISIA GOALKEEPERS 1 Aymen MATHLOUTHI (38) 14.09.84 Etoile du Sahel 16 Aymen DAHMEN (25) 28.01.97 CS Sfaxien 22 Bechir BEN SAID (29) 29.11.92 US Monastir 26 Mouez HASSEN (27) 05.03.95 Club Africain DEFENDERS 2 Bilel IFA (32) 09.03.90 Kuwait SC (Kuw) 3 Montassar TALBI (24) 26.05.98 Lorient (Fra) 4 Yassine MERIAH (29) 02.07.93 Esperance 5 Nader GHANDRI (27) 18.02.95 Club Africain 6 Dylan BRONN (27) 19.06.95 Salernitana (Ita) 12 Ali MAALOUL (32) 01.01.90 Al Ahly (Egy) 20 Mohamed DRAGER (26) 25.06.96 Luzern (Sui) 21 Wajdi KECHRIDA (27) 05.11.95 Atromitos (Gre) 24 Ali ABDI (28) 20.12.93 Caen (Fra) MIDFIELDERS 8 Hannibal MEJBRI (19) 21.01.03 Birmingham City (Eng) 13 Ferjani SASSI (30) 18.03.92 Al Duhail (Qat) 14 Aissa LAIDOUNI (25) 13.12.96 Ferencvaros (Hun) 15 Mohamed Ali BEN ROMDHANE (23) 06.09.99 Esperance 17 Ellyes SKHIRI (27) 10.05.95 Cologne (Ger) 18 Ghaylen CHAALELI (28) 28.02.94 Esperance 25 Anis BEN SLIMANE (21) 16.03.01 Brondby (Den) FORWARDS 7 Youssef MSAKNI (32) 28.10.90 Al Arabi (Qat) 9 Issam JEBALI (30) 25.12.91 OB (Den) 10 Wahbi KHAZRI (31) 08.02.91 Montpellier (Fra) 11 Taha Yassine KHENISSI (30) 06.01.92 Kuwait SC (Kuw) 19 Seifeddine JAZIRI (29) 12.02.93 Zamalek (Egy) 23 Naim SLITI (30) 27.07.92 Al Ettifaq (KSA) COACH Jalel KADRI (50) 14.12.71 UNITED STATES GOALKEEPERS 1 Matt TURNER (28) 24.06.94 Arsenal (Eng) 12 Ethan HORVATH (27) 09.06.95 Luton Town (Eng) 25 Sean JOHNSON (33) 31.05.89 New York City FC DEFENDERS 2 Sergino DEST (22) 03.11.00 Milan (Ita) 3 Walker ZIMMERMAN (29) 19.05.93 Nashville SC 5 Antonee ROBINSON (25) 08.08.97 Fulham (Eng) 13 Tim REAM (35) 05.10.87 Fulham (Eng) 15 Aaron LONG (30) 12.10.92 New York Red Bulls 18 Shaq MOORE (26) 02.11.96 Nashville SC 20 Cameron CARTER-VICKERS (24) 31.12.97 Celtic (Sco) 22 DeAndre YEDLIN (29) 09.07.93 Inter Miami 26 Joe SCALLY (19) 31.12.02 B. M’gladbach (Ger) MIDFIELDERS 4 Tyler ADAMS (23) 14.02.99 Leeds Utd (Eng) 6 Yunus MUSAH (19) 29.11.02 Valencia (Spa) 8 Weston McKENNIE (24) 28.08.98 Juventus (Ita) 14 Luca DE LA TORRE (24) 23.05.98 Celta Vigo (Spa) 17 Cristian ROLDAN (27) 03.06.95 Seattle Sounders 23 Kellyn ACOSTA (27) 24.07.95 LAFC FORWARDS 7 Giovanni REYNA (20) 13.11.02 Borussia Dortmund (Ger) 9 Jesus FERREIRA (21) 24.12.00 FC Dallas 10 Christian PULISIC (24) 18.09.98 Chelsea (Eng) 11 Brenden AARONSON (22) 22.10.00 Leeds Utd (Eng) 16 Jordan MORRIS (28) 26.10.94 Seattle Sounders 19 Haji WRIGHT (24) 27.03.98 Antalyaspor (Tur) 21 Timothy WEAH (22) 22.02.00 Lille (Fra) 24 Josh SARGENT (22) 20.02.00 Norwich City (Eng) COACH Gregg BERHALTER (49) 01.08.73 URUGUAY GOALKEEPERS 1 Fernando MUSLERA (36) 16.06.86 Galatasaray (Tur) 12 Sebastian SOSA (36) 19.08.86 Independiente (Arg) 23 Sergio ROCHET (29) 23.03.93 Nacional DEFENDERS 2 Jose Maria GIMENEZ (27) 20.01.95 Atletico Madrid (Spa) 3 Diego GODIN (36) 16.02.86 Velez Sarsfield (Arg) 4 Ronald ARAUJO (23) 07.03.99 Barcelona (Spa) 13 Guillermo VARELA (29) 24.03.93 Flamengo (Bra) 16 Mathias OLIVERA (25) 31.10.97 Napoli (Ita) 17 Matias VINA (25) 09.11.97 Roma (Ita) 19 Sebastian COATES (32) 07.10.90 Sporting (Por) 22 Martin CACERES (35) 07.04.87 LA Galaxy (USA) 26 Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ (25) 14.03.97 Nacional MIDFIELDERS 5 Matias VECINO (31) 24.08.91 Lazio (Ita) 6 Rodrigo BENTANCUR (25) 25.06.97 Tottenham (Eng) 7 Nicolas DE LA CRUZ (25) 01.06.97 River Plate (Arg) 10 Giorgian DE ARRASCAETA (28) 01.06.94 Flamengo (Bra) 14 Lucas TORREIRA (26) 11.02.96 Galatasaray (Tur) 15 Federico VALVERDE (24) 22.07.98 Real Madrid (Spa) 25 Manuel UGARTE (21) 11.04.01 Sporting (Por) FORWARDS 8 Facundo PELLISTRI (20) 20.12.01 Manchester Utd (Eng) 9 Luis SUAREZ (35) 24.01.87 Nacional 11 Darwin NUNEZ (23) 24.06.99 Liverpool (Eng) 18 Maxi GOMEZ (26) 14.08.96 Trabzonspor (Tur) 20 Facundo TORRES (22) 13.04.00 Orlando City (USA) 21 Edinson CAVANI (35) 14.02.87 Valencia (Spa) 24 Agustin CANOBBIO (24) 01.10.98 Athletico Paranaense (Bra) COACH Diego ALONSO (47) 16.04.75 WALES GOALKEEPERS 1 Wayne HENNESSEY (35) 24.01.87 Nott’m Forest (Eng) 12 Danny WARD (29) 22.06.93 Leicester City (Eng) 21 Adam DAVIES (30) 17.07.92 Sheffield Utd (Eng) DEFENDERS 2 Chris GUNTER (33) 21.07.89 AFC Wimbledon (Eng) 3 Neco WILLIAMS (21) 13.04.01 Nott’m Forest (Eng) 4 Ben DAVIES (29) 24.04.93 Tottenham (Eng) 5 Chris MEPHAM (25) 05.11.97 Bournemouth (Eng) 6 Joe RODON (25) 22.10.97 Rennes (Fra) 14 Connor ROBERTS (27) 23.09.95 Burnley (Eng) 17 Tom LOCKYER (27) 03.12.94 Luton Town (Eng) 24 Ben CABANGO (22) 30.05.00 Swansea City MIDFIELDERS 7 Joe ALLEN (32) 14.03.90 Swansea City 8 Harry WILSON (25) 22.03.97 Fulham (Eng) 10 Aaron RAMSEY (31) 26.12.90 Nice (Fra) 15 Ethan AMPADU (22) 14.09.00 Spezia (Ita) 16 Joe MORRELL (25) 03.01.97 Portsmouth (Eng) 18 Jonny WILLIAMS (29) 09.10.93 Swindon Town (Eng) 22 Sorba THOMAS (23) 25.01.99 Huddersfield Town (Eng) 23 Dylan LEVITT (22) 17.11.00 Dundee Utd (Sco) 25 Rubin COLWILL (20) 27.04.02 Cardiff City 26 Matthew SMITH (22) 22.11.99 MK Dons (Eng) FORWARDS 9 Brennan JOHNSON (21) 23.05.01 Nott’m Forest (Eng) 11 Gareth BALE (33) 16.07.89 LAFC (USA) 13 Kieffer MOORE (30) 08.08.92 Bournemouth (Eng) 19 Mark HARRIS (23) 29.12.98 Cardiff City 20 Daniel JAMES (25) 10.11.97 Fulham (Eng) COACH Rob PAGE (48) 03.09.74 (Clubs and ages as of 20.11.22) SERBIA GOALKEEPERS 1 Marko DMITROVIC (30) 24.01.92 Sevilla (Spa) 12 Predrag RAJKOVIC (27) 31.10.95 Mallorca (Spa) 23 Vanja MILINKOVIC-SAVIC (25) 20.02.97 Torino (Ita) DEFENDERS 2 Strahinja PAVLOVIC (21) 24.05.01 RB Salzburg (Aut) 3 Strahinja ERAKOVIC (21) 22.01.01 Red Star Belgrade 4 Nikola MILENKOVIC (25) 12.10.97 Fiorentina (Ita) 5 Milos VELJKOVIC (27) 26.09.95 Werder Bremen (Ger) 13 Stefan MITROVIC (32) 22.05.90 Getafe (Spa) 15 Srdjan BABIC (26) 22.04.96 Almeria (Spa) 25 Filip MLADENOVIC (31) 15.08.91 Legia Warsaw (Pol) MIDFIELDERS 6 Nemanja MAKSIMOVIC (27) 26.01.95 Getafe (Spa) 7 Nemanja RADONJIC (26) 15.02.96 Torino (Ita) 8 Nemanja GUDELJ (31) 16.11.91 Sevilla (Spa) 10 Dusan TADIC (34) 20.11.88 Ajax (Ned) 14 Andrija ZIVKOVIC (26) 11.07.96 PAOK (Gre) 16 Sasa LUKIC (26) 13.08.96 Torino (Ita) 17 Filip KOSTIC (30) 01.11.92 Juventus (Ita) 19 Uros RACIC (24) 17.03.98 Braga (Por) 20 Sergej MILINKOVIC-SAVIC (27) 27.02.95 Lazio (Ita) 21 Filip DJURICIC (30) 30.01.92 Sampdoria (Ita) 22 Darko LAZOVIC (32) 15.09.90 Hellas Verona (Ita) 24 Ivan ILIC (21) 17.03.01 Hellas Verona (Ita) 26 Marko GRUJIC (26) 13.04.96 Porto (Por) FORWARDS 9 Aleksandar MITROVIC (28) 16.09.94 Fulham (Eng) 11 Luka JOVIC (24) 23.12.97 Fiorentina (Ita) 18 Dusan VLAHOVIC (22) 28.01.00 Juventus (Ita) COACH Dragan STOJKOVIC (57) 03.03.65 SOUTH KOREA GOALKEEPERS 1 KIM Seung-gyu (32) 30.09.90 Al Shabab (KSA) 12 SONG Bum-keun (25) 15.10.97 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 21 JO Hyeon-woo (31) 25.09.91 Ulsan Hyundai DEFENDERS 2 YOON Jong-gyu (24) 20.03.98 FC Seoul 3 KIM Jin-su (30) 13.06.92 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 4 KIM Min-jae (26) 15.11.96 Napoli (Ita) 14 HONG Chul (32) 17.09.90 Daegu FC 15 KIM Moon-hwan (27) 01.08.95 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 19 KIM Young-gwon (32) 27.02.90 Ulsan Hyundai 20 KWON Kyung-won (30) 31.01.92 Gamba Osaka (Jpn) 23 KIM Tae-hwan (33) 24.07.89 Ulsan Hyundai 24 CHO Yu-min (26) 17.11.96 Daejeon Hana Citizen MIDFIELDERS 5 JUNG Woo-young (32) 14.12.89 Al Sadd (Qat) 6 HWANG In-beom (26) 20.09.96 Olympiakos (Gre) 8 PAIK Seung-ho (25) 17.03.97 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 10 LEE Jae-sung (30) 10.08.92 Mainz (Ger) 13 SON Jun-ho (30) 12.05.92 Shandong Taishan (Chn) 17 NA Sang-ho (26) 12.08.96 FC Seoul 18 LEE Kang-in (21) 19.02.01 Mallorca (Spa) 22 KWON Chang-hoon (28) 30.06.94 Gimcheon Sangmu 25 JEONG Woo-yeong (23) 20.09.99 Freiburg (Ger) FORWARDS 7 SON Heung-min (30) 08.07.92 Tottenham (Eng) 9 CHO Gue-sung (24) 25.01.98 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 11 HWANG Hee-chan (26) 26.01.96 Wolves (Eng) 16 HWANG Ui-jo (30) 28.08.92 Olympiakos (Gre) 26 SONG Min-kyu (23) 12.09.99 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors COACH Paulo BENTO (Por) (53) 20.06.69 SPAIN GOALKEEPERS 1 Robert SANCHEZ (25) 18.11.97 Brighton (Eng) 13 David RAYA (27) 15.09.95 Brentford (Eng) 23 Unai SIMON (25) 11.06.97 Athletic Bilbao DEFENDERS 2 Cesar AZPILICUETA (33) 28.08.89 Chelsea (Eng) 3 Eric GARCIA (21) 09.01.01 Barcelona 4 Pau TORRES (25) 16.01.97 Villarreal 14 Alejandro BALDE (19) 18.10.03 Barcelona 15 HUGO Guillamon (22) 31.01.00 Valencia 18 Jordi ALBA (33) 21.03.89 Barcelona 20 Dani CARVAJAL (30) 11.01.92 Real Madrid 24 Aymeric LAPORTE (28) 27.05.94 Manchester City (Eng) MIDFIELDERS 5 Sergio BUSQUETS (34) 16.07.88 Barcelona 6 Marcos LLORENTE (27) 30.01.95 Atletico Madrid 8 KOKE (30) 08.01.92 Atletico Madrid 9 GAVI (18) 05.08.04 Barcelona 16 RODRI (26) 22.06.96 Manchester City (Eng) 19 Carlos SOLER (25) 02.01.97 PSG (Fra) 26 PEDRI (19) 25.11.02 Barcelona FORWARDS 7 Alvaro MORATA (30) 23.10.92 Atletico Madrid 10 Marco ASENSIO (26) 21.01.96 Real Madrid 11 Ferran TORRES (22) 29.02.00 Barcelona 12 Nico WILLIAMS (20) 12.07.02 Athletic Bilbao 17 YEREMY (20) 20.10.02 Villarreal 21 Dani OLMO (24) 07.05.98 RB Leipzig (Ger) 22 Pablo SARABIA (30) 11.05.92 PSG (Fra) 25 Ansu FATI (20) 31.10.02 Barcelona COACH Luis ENRIQUE (52) 08.05.70 SWITZERLAND GOALKEEPERS 1 Yann SOMMER (33) 17.12.88 B. M’gladbach (Ger) 12 Jonas OMLIN (28) 10.01.94 Montpellier (Fra) 21 Gregor KOBEL (24) 06.12.97 Borussia Dortmund (Ger) 24 Philipp KOHN (24) 02.04.98 RB Salzburg (Aut) DEFENDERS 3 Silvan WIDMER (29) 05.03.93 Mainz (Ger) 4 Nico ELVEDI (26) 30.09.96 B. M’gladbach (Ger) 5 Manuel AKANJI (27) 19.07.95 Manchester City (Eng) 13 Ricardo RODRIGUEZ (30) 25.08.92 Torino (Ita) 18 Eray COMERT (24) 04.02.98 Valencia (Spa) 22 Fabian SCHAR (30) 20.12.91 Newcastle Utd (Eng) MIDFIELDERS 2 Edimilson FERNANDES (26) 15.04.96 Mainz (Ger) 6 Denis ZAKARIA (26) 20.11.96 Chelsea (Eng) 8 Remo FREULER (30) 15.04.92 Nott’m Forest (Eng) 10 Granit XHAKA (30) 27.09.92 Arsenal (Eng) 11 Renato STEFFEN (31) 03.11.91 Lugano 14 Michel AEBISCHER (25) 06.01.97 Bologna (Ita) 15 Djibril SOW (25) 06.02.97 Eintract Frankfurt (Ger) 16 Christian FASSNACHT (29) 11.11.93 Young Boys 20 Fabian FREI (33) 08.01.89 Basel 23 Xherdan SHAQIRI (31) 10.10.91 Chicago Fire (USA) 25 Fabian RIEDER (20) 16.02.02 Young Boys 26 Ardon JASHARI (20) 30.07.02 Luzern FORWARDS 7 Breel EMBOLO (25) 14.02.97 Monaco (Fra) 9 Haris SEFEROVIC (30) 22.02.92 Galatasaray (Tur) 17 Ruben VARGAS (24) 05.08.98 Augsburg (Ger) 19 Noah OKAFOR (22) 24.05.00 RB Salzburg (Aut) COACH Murat YAKIN (48) 15.09.74 WORLD SOCCER 95

RESULTS, TABLES, FIXTURES Club Football Final tables 2022 All concluded domestic leagues EUROPE BELARUS P W DLFA Pts Shakhtyor Soligorsk (C) 30 20 5 5 55 17 65 Energetyk-BGU Minsk 30 18 6 6 50 27 60 BATE Borisov 30 16 11 3 51 21 59 Dinamo Minsk 30 16 11 3 50 25 59 Isloch Minsk Raion 30 16 6 8 51 33 54 Minsk 30 12 8 10 47 43 44 Gomel 30 12 7 11 36 37 43 Torpedo BelAZ Zhodino 30 11 10 9 35 32 43 Neman Grodno 30 9 13 8 39 36 40 Slavia Mozyr 30 10 7 13 42 46 37 Slutsk 30 7 11 12 26 41 32 Belshina Bobruisk 30 6 12 12 37 50 30 Dinamo Brest 30 5 12 13 29 43 27 Arsenal Dzerzhinsk* (R)30 5 8 17 18 42 23 Vitebsk (R) 30 4 10 16 28 49 22 Dnepr Mogilev (R) 30 3 3 24 21 73 12 *Lost the relegation play-off ESTONIA P W DLFA Pts Flora (C) 36 31 4 1 94 21 97 FCI Levadia 36 24 7 5 74 25 79 Paide Linnameeskond 36 19 8 9 84 37 65 Nomme Kalju 36 19 8 9 59 30 65 Kuressaare 36 13 11 12 49 51 50 Tammeka 36 10 9 17 38 57 39 Narva Trans 36 10 8 18 43 58 38 Tallinna Kalev 36 10 5 21 42 92 35 Legion* 36 6 8 22 34 82 22 Vaprus (R) 36 3 2 31 32 96 11 *Deducted4points and won the relegation play-off FAROE ISLANDS P W DLFA Pts KI (C) 27 25 2 0 78 7 77 Vikingur 27 18 4 5 69 24 58 HB 27 17 4 6 56 27 55 B36 Torshavn 27 11 5 11 48 29 38 EB/Streymur 27 10 5 12 31 54 35 B68 Toftir 27 9 3 15 37 50 30 07 Vestur 27 7 8 12 34 61 29 AB 27 8 5 14 33 63 29 NSI* 27 6 3 18 31 59 21 Skala (R) 27 1 7 19 25 68 10 *Enter the relegation play-off FINLAND Regular Season P W DLFA Pts HJK* 22 15 4 3 34 18 49 KuPS* 22 14 5 3 36 16 47 Honka* 22 12 5 5 45 21 41 Haka* 22 11 4 7 36 38 37 Inter Turku* 22 9 5 8 40 28 32 SJK* 22 9 4 9 29 32 31 Oulu** 22 8 6 8 35 35 30 Ilves** 22 6 7 9 31 36 25 Mariehamn** 22 6 6 10 25 33 24 VPS** 22 6 4 12 39 36 22 Lahti** 22 4 6 12 19 43 18 HIFK** 22 1 6 15 15 48 9 *Qualify for the championship round **Qualify for the relegation round Championship Round P W DLFA Pts HJK (C) 27 18 4 5 41 23 58 KuPS 27 17 6 4 43 21 57 Honka 27 14 7 6 53 27 49 Haka 27 13 6 8 40 40 45 Inter Turku 27 10 5 12 42 36 35 SJK 27 10 5 12 33 38 35 Relegation Round P W DLFA Pts Oulu 27 11 6 10 46 43 39 VPS 27 10 5 12 52 41 35 Ilves 27 9 7 11 43 43 34 Mariehamn 27 9 7 11 41 43 34 Lahti* 27 5 6 16 26 55 21 HIFK (R) 27 1 6 20 20 70 9 *Won the relegation play-off GEORGIA P W DLFA Pts Dinamo Tbilisi (C) 36 24 8 4 73 29 80 Dinamo Batumi 36 23 8 5 87 34 77 Dila Gori 36 17 8 11 48 35 59 Samgurali 36 15 12 9 55 44 57 Torpedo Kutaisi 36 15 9 12 48 48 54 Saburtalo Tbilisi 36 13 8 15 51 49 47 Telavi 36 8 15 13 29 36 39 Sioni Bolnisi* (R)36 8 12 16 38 60 36 Gagra* 36 9 9 18 36 57 36 Locomotive Tbilisi (R) 36 1 5 30 28 101 8 *S. Bolnisi lost relegation play-off, Gagra won theirs ICELAND Regular Season P W DLFA Pts Breidablik* 22 16 3 3 55 23 51 Vikingur Reykjavik* 22 12 7 3 58 32 43 KA* 22 13 4 5 45 26 43 Valur* 22 9 5 8 38 32 32 KR* 22 7 10 5 37 34 31 Stjarnan* 22 8 7 7 40 42 31 Keflavik** 22 8 4 10 39 40 28 Fram** 22 5 10 7 44 51 25 IBV** 22 4 8 10 33 44 20 Leiknir Reykjavik** 22 5 5 12 21 49 20 FH** 22 4 7 11 27 35 19 IA** 22 3 6 13 24 53 15 *Qualify for the championship round **Qualify for the relegation round Championship Round P W DLFA Pts Breidablik (C) 27 20 3 4 66 27 63 KA 27 16 5 6 54 30 53 Vikingur Reykjavik 27 13 9 5 66 41 48 KR 27 9 11 7 42 40 38 Stjarnan 27 10 7 10 44 52 37 Valur 27 10 5 12 46 44 35 Relegation Round P W DLFA Pts Keflavik 27 11 4 12 56 48 37 IBV 27 8 8 11 43 50 32 Fram 27 7 10 10 53 63 31 FH 27 6 7 14 36 46 25 IA (R) 27 6 7 14 36 63 25 Leiknir Reykjavik (R) 27 5 6 16 28 66 21 KAZAKHSTAN P W DLFA Pts Astana (C) 26 16 5 5 65 24 53 Aktobe 26 16 4 6 43 28 52 Tobol 26 14 5 7 46 33 47 Kairat 26 12 6 8 34 36 42 Ordabasy 26 11 5 10 36 39 38 Aksu 26 11 3 12 32 37 36 Shakhter Karagandy 26 9 5 12 34 35 32 Maqtaaral 26 8 7 11 28 38 31 Kaspiy 26 9 4 13 26 42 31 Kyzyl-Zhar 26 7 9 10 33 32 30 Atyrau 26 7 8 11 30 39 29 Taraz 26 6 10 10 27 29 28 Turan (R) 26 6 10 10 25 35 28 Akzhayik (R) 26 6 7 13 19 31 25 LATVIA P W DLFA Pts Valmiera (C) 36 26 7 3 101 25 85 Riga 36 26 3 7 68 23 81 RFS 36 22 10 4 83 32 76 Liepaja 36 21 7 8 72 42 70 Auda 36 15 6 15 42 36 51 Tukums 36 11 5 20 38 69 38 Daugavpils 36 9 7 20 30 67 34 Spartaks Jurmala 36 9 4 23 37 75 31 Metta* 36 5 7 24 41 86 22 Super Nova (R) 36 4 8 24 24 81 20 *Won the relegation play-off LITHUANIA P W DLFA Pts Zalgiris (C) 36 26 6 4 85 27 84 Kauno Zalgiris 36 18 9 9 55 37 63 Panevezys 36 18 8 10 50 31 62 Hegelmann 36 16 13 7 62 32 61 Riteriai 36 17 8 11 53 41 59 Suduva 36 15 10 11 48 40 55 Siauliai 36 13 11 12 39 39 50 Banga 36 6 12 18 33 54 30 Dziugas (R) 36 5 12 19 34 67 27 Jonava (R) 36 0 3 33 12 103 3 NORWAY P W D L F A Pts Molde (C) 30 25 3 2 71 25 78 Bodo/Glimt 30 18 6 6 86 41 60 Rosenborg 30 16 8 6 69 44 56 Lillestrom 30 16 5 9 49 34 53 Odd 30 13 6 11 43 45 45 Valerenga 30 13 5 12 52 49 44 Tromso 30 10 13 7 46 49 43 Sarpsborg 08 30 12 5 13 57 54 41 Aalesund 30 10 9 11 32 45 39 Haugesund 30 10 8 12 42 46 38 Viking 30 9 8 13 48 54 35 Stromsgodset 30 9 6 15 44 55 33 HamKam 30 6 13 11 33 43 31 Sandefjord* 30 6 6 18 42 68 24 Kristiansund (R) 30 5 8 17 37 60 23 Jerv (R) 30 5 5 20 30 69 20 *Won the relegation play-off REPUBLIC OF IRELAND P W DLFA Pts Shamrock Rovers (C) 36 24 7 5 61 22 79 Derry City 36 18 12 6 53 27 66 Dundalk 36 18 12 6 53 30 66 St Patrick's Athletic 36 18 7 11 57 37 61 Sligo Rovers 36 13 10 13 47 44 49 Bohemians 36 12 10 14 45 46 46 Shelbourne 36 10 11 15 40 49 41 Drogheda United 36 9 11 16 34 58 38 UCD* 36 6 8 22 28 67 26 Finn Harps (R) 36 4 8 24 33 71 20 *Won the relegation play-off SWEDEN P W DLFA Pts Hacken (C) 30 18 10 2 69 37 64 Djurgardens 30 17 6 7 55 25 57 Hammarby 30 16 8 6 60 27 56 Kalmar 30 15 6 9 41 27 51 AIK 30 14 8 8 45 36 50 Elfsborg 30 13 10 7 55 35 49 Malmo 30 13 7 10 44 34 46 IFK Goteborg 30 14 3 13 42 39 45 Mjallby 30 11 10 9 33 33 43 Varnamo 30 9 10 11 34 47 37 Sirius 30 9 8 13 31 42 35 Norrkoping 30 8 10 12 40 42 34 Degerfors 30 7 10 13 32 49 31 Varbergs* 30 8 7 15 31 57 31 Helsingborgs (R) 30 4 5 21 22 52 17 GIF Sundsvall (R) 30 4 2 24 28 80 14 *Won the relegation play-off SOUTH AMERICA BRAZIL P W DLFA Pts Palmeiras (C) 38 23 12 3 66 27 81 Internacional 38 20 13 5 58 31 73 Fluminense 38 21 7 10 63 41 70 Corinthians 38 18 11 9 44 36 65 Flamengo 38 18 8 12 60 39 62 Athletico Paranaense 38 16 10 12 48 48 58 Atletico Mineiro 38 15 13 10 45 37 58 Fortaleza 38 15 10 13 46 39 55 Sao Paulo 38 13 15 10 55 42 54 America Mineiro 38 15 8 15 40 40 53 Botafogo 38 15 8 15 41 43 53 Santos 38 12 11 15 44 41 47 Goias 38 11 13 14 40 53 46 Red Bull Bragantino 38 11 11 16 49 59 44 Coritiba 38 12 6 20 39 60 42 Cuiaba 38 10 11 17 31 42 41 Ceara (R) 38 7 16 15 34 41 37 Atletico Goianiense (R) 38 8 12 18 39 57 36 Avai (R) 38 9 8 21 34 60 35 Juventude (R) 38 3 13 22 29 69 22 BOLIVIA Clausura P W DLFA Pts The Strongest 24 16 5 3 58 25 53 Always Ready 24 16 3 5 52 22 51 Bolivar 24 15 5 4 52 25 50 Nacional Potosi 24 13 3 8 44 40 42 Oriente Petrolero 24 11 5 8 36 26 38 Guabira 24 11 5 8 35 33 38 Aurora 24 7 8 9 22 35 29 Independiente 24 7 7 10 34 33 28 Atletico Palmaflor 24 5 12 7 31 34 27 Blooming 24 7 6 11 27 35 27 Jorge Wilstermann 24 7 6 11 24 32 27 Real Tomayapo 24 7 5 12 25 35 26 Royal Pari 24 7 4 13 25 35 25 Real Santa Cruz 24 7 4 13 25 47 25 Universitario de Sucre* (R)24 6 5 13 24 46 23 Universitario de Vinto 24 5 7 12 23 34 22 Season abandoned with six matchdays remaining *Entered and lost the relegation play-off as the lowest-ranked team in the aggregate table CHILE P W DLFA Pts Colo-Colo (C) 30 18 9 3 54 17 63 Nublense 30 14 10 6 46 32 52 Curico Unido 30 13 10 7 48 30 49 Palestino 30 12 10 8 45 35 46 Cobresal 30 13 6 11 44 39 45 Universidad Catolica 30 13 6 11 41 38 45 Audax Italiano30 12 9 9 44 42 45 O'Higgins 30 11 11 8 31 31 44 Everton 30 9 15 6 40 27 42 Union La Calera 30 9 12 9 36 40 39 Union Espanola 30 10 7 13 37 44 37 Huachipato 30 10 5 15 32 46 35 Universidad de Chile 30 8 6 16 35 50 30 Coquimbo Unido 30 7 6 17 32 52 27 Deportes La Serena (R) 30 7 6 17 28 56 27 Deportivo Antofagasta (R) 30 6 8 16 23 37 26 COLOMBIA Finalizacion P W DLFA Pts Santa Fe* 20 10 4 6 25 26 34 Aguilas Doradas* 20 8 9 3 23 15 33 Independiente Medellin* 20 9 6 5 30 25 33 Millonarios* 20 9 5 6 29 19 32 Deportivo Pereira* 20 9 5 6 26 21 32 Deportivo Pasto* 20 9 5 6 24 23 32 America de Cali* 20 7 10 3 21 11 31 Junior* 20 9 4 7 24 19 31 Atletico Nacional 20 7 9 4 31 25 30 Once Caldas 20 7 9 4 21 18 30 Atletico Bucaramanga 20 9 3 8 26 25 30 Union Magdalena 20 8 5 7 23 28 29 La Equidad 20 6 10 4 28 27 28 Tolima 20 6 8 6 23 22 26 Envigado 20 7 5 8 22 22 26 Jaguares 20 4 8 8 14 20 20 Alianza Petrolera 20 4 5 11 24 32 17 Deportivo Cali 20 3 7 10 22 35 16 Patriotas** (R) 20 3 6 11 21 28 15 Cortulua** (R) 20 2 5 13 12 28 11 *Qualify for the semi-final stage **Relegated as two lowest-ranked teams based on points-per-game average over past three seasons Semi-Final Group A P W DLFA Pts Deportivo Pereira (Q)640 2 13 9 12 Millonarios 632 1 7 4 11 Santa Fe 6 2 3 18 9 9 Junior 601 5 5 11 1 Semi-Final Group B P W DLFA Pts Independiente Medellin (Q) 632 1 6 3 11 Aguilas Doradas 631 2 9 7 10 Deportivo Pasto 6 2 2 26 6 8 America de Cali 611 4 4 9 4 Final Dec 4: Ind. Medellin1-1 Deportivo Pereira Dec 7: Dep. Pereira p0-0 Ind. Medellin (agg1-1) ECUADOR Second Stage P W DLFA Pts Aucas* 15 9 6 0 28 9 33 Independiente del Valle 15 9 2 4 20 16 29 Universidad Catolica 15 8 3 4 22 12 27 LDU Quito 15 7 5 3 23 17 26 Emelec 15 7 4 4 22 15 25 Deportivo Cuenca 15 6 4 5 18 16 22 Tecnico Universitario 15 6 4 5 20 20 22 Barcelona SC 15 5 6 4 24 19 21 Delfin 15 5 4 6 17 19 19 Orense 15 4 6 5 16 17 18 Cumbaya 15 4 6 5 15 16 18 Guayaquil City 15 4 5 6 15 17 17 Gualaceo 15 4 2 9 10 23 14 Mushuc Runa 15 2 6 7 12 22 12 Macara** (R) 15 2 5 8 17 28 11 9 de Octubre** (R) 15 2 4 9 12 25 10 *Qualify for the final against the first stage winners **Relegated as the two lowest-ranked teams in the aggregate table Final Nov 6: Barcelona SC 0-1 Aucas Nov13: Aucas 0-0 Barcelona SC (agg1-0) 96 WORLD SOCCER

RESULTS, TABLES, FIXTURES GROUP EDITOR Stephen Fishlock ASSISTANT EDITORS Jamie Evans & Jared Tinslay DESIGN Sean Phillips, atg-media.com PICTURES Pictures copyright: Getty Images SPECIAL THANKS THIS ISSUE TO: James Nalton, Nick Bidwell, Danny Lewis, Klaas-Jan Droppert, Tim Vickery, Jim Holden, Samindra Kunti & Keir Radnedge EDITORIAL Kelsey Media, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Maidstone, Kent, ME18 6AL ADVERTISING AND SPONSORSHIP Talk Media Sales: David Lerpiniere Tel: 01732 445325 Email: [email protected] CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Phil Weeden MANAGING DIRECTOR Kevin McCormick RETAIL SALES DIRECTOR Steve Brown PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Oswin Grady OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Gill Lambert SENIOR SUBS MARKETING MANAGERS Nicholas McIntosh & Rochelle Gyer-Smith SUBS MARKETING MANAGER Andy Cotton SUBS MARKETING EXECUTIVE Abbie Russon PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER Georgina Harris PRINT PRODUCTION CONTROLLERS Kelly Orriss & Hayley Brown DISTRIBUTION Great Britain: Marketforce Tel: 0330 390 6555 Northern Ireland and the Republic Of Ireland Newspread Tel: +353 23 886 3850 PRINTING William Gibbons & Sons Ltd January 2023 Vol. 63 No. 5 ● La Gazzetta dello Sport (Italy) ● Kicker (Germany) ● Marca (Spain) ● Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany) ● ElfVoetbal (Netherlands) ● Fanatik (Turkey) ● A Bola (Portugal) ● De Telegraaf (Netherlands) ● Nemzeti Sport (Hungary) ● Sport/Voetbal (Belgium) ● TIPS Bladet (Denmark) ● World Soccer (UK) SUBSCRIPTIONS ORDER HOTLINE +44 (0)1959 543 747 Lines open Mon-Fri, 8.30am-5pm or visit shop.kelsey.co.uk/WSC SUBSCRIPTIONS RATES Full annual subscription rate (13 issues) UK: £77.87, USA & EU: £91, RoW: £98. CONTACT US Editorial: [email protected] UK subscription & back issue orderline: 01959 543 747 Overseas subscription orderline: 0044 (0)1959 543 747 Toll free USA subscription orderline: 1-888-777-0275 Customer service website: help.kelsey.co.uk/support/home Customer service & subscription postal address: World Soccer Customer Service Team Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Maidstone, Kent, ME18 6AL PARAGUAY Clausura P W DLFA Pts Olimpia (C) 22 15 4 3 42 19 49 Cerro Porteno 22 14 6 2 32 13 48 Nacional 22 13 6 3 30 16 45 Libertad 22 10 4 8 35 27 34 Tacuary 22 9 4 9 27 25 31 Sportivo Ameliano 22 9 2 11 29 32 29 General Caballero (JLM) 22 8 4 10 26 26 28 Guairena 22 7 6 9 26 31 27 Club Guarani 22 6 5 11 23 32 23 Sol de America* (R) 22 5 6 11 21 33 21 Resistencia 22 5 6 11 16 32 21 12 de Octubre* (R) 22 3 3 16 16 37 12 *Relegated as two lowest-ranked teams based on points-per-game average over past three seasons PERU Clausura P W DLFA Pts Alianza Lima* 18 13 3 2 31 10 42 Sporting Cristal** 18 12 5 1 39 17 41 Atletico Grau 18 11 4 3 30 19 37 Universitario 18 9 6 3 26 10 33 Melgar*** 18 10 3 5 31 18 33 Cesar Vallejo 18 10 3 5 25 24 33 UTC 18 8 4 6 28 24 28 Sport Huancayo 18 8 3 7 26 19 27 Alianza Atletico 18 8 3 7 23 21 27 Binacional 18 8 2 8 28 19 26 Cienciano 18 7 4 7 24 23 25 ADT 18 6 6 6 25 25 24 Sport Boys 18 6 3 9 23 31 21 Deportivo Municipal 18 5 5 8 20 29 20 Academia Cantolao 18 4 7 7 19 22 19 Ayacucho**** (R) 18 3 5 10 16 28 14 Carlos Mannucci 18 3 4 11 13 33 13 Carlos Stein***** (R) 18 1 3 14 18 43 6 U San Martin***** (R) 18 1 3 14 17 47 6 *Qualify for play-offs as Clausura winners **Qualify for play-offs as highest-ranked team in the aggregate table ***Qualify for play-offs as Apertura winners ****Lost the relegation play-off *****Relegated as two lowest-ranked teams in the aggregate table Play-Off Semi-Final Nov 2: Melgar 2-0 Sporting Cristal Nov 6: Sporting Cristal 0-2 Melgar (agg 0-4) Play-Off Final Nov 9: Melgar1-0 Alianza Lima Nov12: Alianza Lima 2-0 Melgar (agg 2-1) URUGUAY Clausura P W D L F A Pts Nacional* 15 10 4 1 26 9 34 River Plate 15 9 3 3 29 12 30 Deportivo Maldonado 15 8 6 1 19 11 30 Liverpool 15 8 4 3 23 12 28 Danubio 15 6 7 2 19 10 25 Defensor Sporting 15 7 4 4 18 12 25 Boston River 15 6 4 5 21 15 22 Penarol 15 6 4 5 20 16 22 Cerro Largo 15 5 4 6 11 18 19 Fenix 15 4 5 6 13 15 17 Montevideo Wanderers 15 4 4 7 12 19 16 Albion** (R) 15 4 4 7 11 19 16 Plaza Colonia 15 4 2 9 11 20 14 Montevideo City Torque 15 4 1 10 12 24 13 Rentistas** (R) 15 3 1 11 16 31 10 Cerrito** (R) 15 2 3 10 10 28 9 *Qualify for the final against Apertura winners **Relegated as three lowest-ranked teams based on points-per-game average over past two seasons Final Oct 30: Liverpool1-4 Nacional (AET) VENEZUELA First Stage P W DLFA Pts Zamora* 30 14 13 3 44 24 55 Metropolitanos* 30 15 8 7 44 29 53 Monagas* 30 13 9 8 46 33 48 Carabobo* 30 11 13 6 36 22 46 Deportivo La Guaira 30 12 10 8 46 42 46 Deportivo Tachira 30 11 11 8 38 33 44 Academia Puerto Cabello 30 11 8 11 38 41 41 Hermanos Colmenarez 30 11 7 12 39 38 40 Estudiantes de Merida 30 9 12 9 38 37 39 Portuguesa 30 7 16 7 26 27 37 Caracas 30 8 12 10 34 36 36 Deportivo Lara 30 9 9 12 32 36 36 Mineros de Guayana 30 8 10 12 43 54 34 Zulia 30 8 8 14 29 43 32 Universidad Central 30 6 9 15 19 40 27 Aragua (R) 30 5 9 16 32 49 24 *Qualify for the final phase Final Phase P W DLFA Pts Metropolitanos (Q) 6 2 3 1 3 2 9 Monagas (Q) 6 2 2 2 8 8 8 Carabobo 6 2 1 3 8 8 7 Zamora 6 1 4 1 5 6 7 Final Oct 30: Metropolitanos p1-1 Monagas (AET) AFRICA MALAWI P W DLFA Pts Nyasa Big Bullets (C) 30 22 7 1 69 21 73 Blue Eagles 30 18 9 3 39 10 63 Kamuzu Barracks 30 16 9 5 37 19 57 Mighty Wanderers 30 16 8 6 53 26 56 Silver Strikers 30 14 9 7 38 26 51 MAFCO 30 14 8 8 49 26 50 Moyale Barracks 30 14 4 12 38 32 46 CIVO United 30 10 15 5 35 25 45 Dedza Dynamos 30 11 8 11 29 36 41 Ekwendeni Hammers 30 8 10 12 33 35 34 Karonga United 30 8 8 14 26 42 32 Mighty Tigers 30 8 7 15 23 38 31 Red Lions 30 7 8 15 27 38 29 Sable Farming (R) 30 6 6 18 24 44 24 TN Stars (R) 30 4 5 21 24 68 17 Rumphi United (R) 30 3 1 26 15 73 10 ZIMBABWE P W D L F A Pts Platinum (C) 34 22 9 3 52 14 75 Chicken Inn 34 18 9 7 42 28 63 Dynamos 34 16 10 8 33 17 58 Ngezi Platinum 34 14 13 7 46 19 55 Highlanders 34 12 15 7 44 32 51 Triangle United 34 13 11 10 39 31 50 Bulawayo Chiefs 34 13 10 11 32 28 49 Herentals 34 12 12 10 33 30 48 Black Rhinos 34 10 16 8 35 30 46 Manica Diamonds 34 10 15 9 31 28 45 CAPS United 34 9 13 12 35 42 40 Kariba 34 9 12 13 23 29 39 Cranborne Bullets 34 10 8 16 30 43 38 Yadah 34 8 13 13 24 31 37 Harare City (R) 34 7 14 13 24 32 35 Bulawayo City (R) 34 9 7 18 24 42 34 Tenax (R) 34 7 9 18 19 55 30 Whawha (R) 34 6 6 22 28 63 24 ASIA KYRGYZSTAN P W DLFA Pts Abdish-Ata (C) 27 18 6 3 62 16 60 Alay 27 14 9 4 39 21 51 Alga 27 13 6 8 45 39 45 Dordoi Bishkek 27 12 8 7 45 30 44 Neftchi 27 12 7 8 42 28 43 Kaganat 27 9 10 8 31 34 37 Nur-Batken 27 10 5 12 32 39 35 Ilbirs 27 7 8 12 24 29 29 Talant 27 4 9 14 26 41 21 Kara-Balta (R) 27 1 2 24 14 83 5 VIETNAM P W D L F A Pts Hanoi (C) 24 15 6 3 47 21 51 Hai Phong 24 14 6 4 39 26 48 Binh Dinh 24 14 5 5 37 22 47 Viettel 24 11 6 7 29 14 39 Song Lam Nghe An 24 9 6 9 29 28 33 Hoang Anh Gia Lai 24 7 11 6 26 24 32 Binh Duong 24 7 7 10 32 41 28 Thanh Hoa 24 8 4 12 27 27 28 Ho Chi Minh City 24 6 7 11 23 34 25 Da Nang 24 6 7 11 18 35 25 Hong Linh Ha Tinh 24 5 9 10 26 33 24 Nam Dinh 24 6 5 13 21 33 23 Saigon (R) 24 5 7 12 26 42 22 Internationals FRIENDLIES Nov 6: Saudi Arabia 1 (Abdulhamid 26) Iceland 0 Mexico 4 (Vega 4, Funes Mori 48, Gallardo 67, Antuna 90+2 pen) Iraq 0 Nov10: Costa Rica 2 (Duarte 7, Waston 73) Nigeria 0 Panama 1 (Diaz 8) Saudi Arabia 1 (Asiri 37) Iran 1 (Torabi15) Nicaragua 0 Nov11: South Korea 1 (Song Min-kyu 33) Iceland 0 Bahrain 2 (Al Humaidan14, Yusuf Helal 65 pen) Canada 2 (Kone 6, Haram 81 og) Nov16: Saudi Arabia 0 Croatia 1 (Kramaric 82) United Arab Emirates 0 Argentina 5 (Alvarez17, Di Maria 25, 36, Messi 44, J. Correa 60) Oman 0 Germany 1 (Fullkrug 80) Poland 1 (Piatek 85) Chile 0 Mexico 1 (Vega 60) Sweden 2 (Rohden 54, Svanberg 84) Nov17: Ghana 2 (Salisu 70, Semenyo 74) Switzerland 0 Japan 1 (Soma 9) Canada 2 (Vitoria 21, Cavallini 90+5 pen) Jordan 1 (Samir 90+2) Spain 3 (Fati13, Gavi 56, Williams 84) Morocco 3 (En-Nesyri 5, Ziyech 29, Boufal 72 pen) Georgia 0 Portugal 4 (Fernandes 9, 35 pen, Ramos 82, Mario 84) Nigeria 0 Nov18: Cameroon 1 (Choupo-Moting 48) Panama 1 (Murillo 55) Belgium 1 (Openda 76) Egypt 2 (Mohamed 33, Trezeguet 46) Bahrain 1 (Yusuf Helal15 pen) Serbia 5 (Tadic 8, 50, Vlahovic 51, Djuricic 87, Jovic 89) Nov 9: Cameroon1-1 Jamaica Nov12: Ecuador 0-0 Iraq Nov15: Venezuela 2-2 Panama; Dominican Republic 2-4 Cuba Nov16: Ivory Coast 4-0 Burundi; Czech Rep 5-0 Faroe Islands; Andorra 0-1 Austria; Turkey 2-1 Scotland; Cyprus 0-2 Bulgaria; Algeria1-1 Mali; Albania1-3 Italy; Uzbekistan 2-0 Kazakhstan; Moldova1-2 Azerbaijan; Kosovo 2-2 Armenia; Gibraltar 2-0 Liechtenstein; Nepal1-0 Pakistan Nov17: Peru1-0 Paraguay; Tajikistan 0-0 Russia; Romania1-2 Slovenia; Montenegro 2-2 Slovakia: North Macedonia1-1 Finland; Malta 2-2 Greece; Israel 4-2 Zambia; South Africa 2-1 Mozambique; Luxembourg 2-2 Hungary; Syria 0-1 Belarus; Rep of Ireland1-2 Norway; St Lucia1-1 San Marino; Nicaragua1-0 El Salvador; Angola1-0 Botswana; Rwanda 0-0 Sudan; Guinea-Bissau1-3 Gabon Nov18: Dominican Republic1-1 Cuba Nov19: Burkina Faso 2-1 Ivory Coast; Turkey 2-1 Czech Rep; Sweden 2-0 Algeria; UAE 2-1 Kazakhstan; Albania 2-0 Armenia; Kosovo 1-1 Faroe Islands; Gibraltar1-0 Andorra; Sudan 0-1 Rwanda; Kuwait 2-0 Lebanon Nov 20: Uzbekistan 0-0 Russia; Colombia 2-0 Paraguay; Peru1-0 Bolivia; Slovakia 0-0 Chile; South Africa1-1 Angola; Norway1-1 Finland; Slovenia1-0 Montenegro; Luxembourg 0-0 Bulgaria; Syria1-2 Venezuela; Moldova 0-5 Romania; Malta 0-1 Rep of Ireland; Hungary 2-1 Greece; Austria 2-0 Italy; Guatemala 3-1 Nicaragua; North Macedonia1-3 Azerbaijan; Oman 2-0 Belarus; Israel 2-3 Cyprus; St Lucia 1-0 San Marino; Guinea-Bissau 0-0 Gambia WORLD SOCCER 97

ESM MEMBERS: A Bola (Portugal), Fanatik (Turkey), Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany), La Gazzetta dello Sport (Italy), Kicker (Germany), Marca (Spain), Nemzeti Sport (Hungary), Sport/Voetbal (Belgium), De Telegraaf (Netherlands), TIPS Bladet (Denmark), ElfVoetbal (Netherlands), World Soccer (England) GOALKEEPERS Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) 12 Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG) 3 Yann Sommer (B. M’Gladbach) 3 Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea) 2 David de Gea (Manchester United) 2 Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona) 2 Diogo Costa (Porto) 1 Ederson (Manchester City) 1 Rafal Gikiewicz (Augsburg) 1 Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund) 1 Mike Maignan (Milan) 1 Simon Mignolet (Club Brugge) 1 Juan Musso (Atalanta) 1 Rui Patricio (Roma) 1 Nick Pope (Newcastle United) 1 Geronimo Rulli (Villarreal) 1 Brice Samba (Lens) 1 Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt) 1 DEFENDERS Kim Min-jae (Napoli) 12 Joao Cancelo (Manchester City) 11 David Alaba (Real Madrid) 10 Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid) 7 Ruben Dias (Manchester City) 6 Gabriel (Arsenal) 6 Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich) 6 Eder Militao (Real Madrid) 5 Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid) 4 Mario Rui (Napoli) 4 Diogo Dalot (Manchester United) 3 Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich) 3 Eric Dier (Tottenham) 3 William Saliba (Arsenal) 3 Pau Torres (Villarreal) 3 Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich) 3 Danilo (Juventus) 2 Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli) 2 Alex Grimaldo (Benfica) 2 Theo Hernandez (Milan) 2 Roger Ibanez (Roma) 2 Lisandro Martinez (Manchester Utd) 2 Ferland Mendy (Real Madrid) 2 Nuno Tavares (Marseille) 2 Rafael Toloi (Atalanta) 2 Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United) 2 Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) 2 Toby Alderweireld (Antwerp) 1 Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) 1 Ronald Araujo (Barcelona) 1 Rodrigo Becao (Udinese) 1 Ramy Bensebaini (B. M’Gladbach) 1 Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus) 1 Marc Cucurella (Chelsea) 1 Matthijs de Ligt (Bayern Munich) 1 Oscar De Marcos (Athletic Bilbao) 1 Federico Dimarco (Internazionale) 1 Denzel Dumfries (Internazionale) 1 Achraf Hakimi (PSG) 1 Lucas Hernandez (Bayern Munich) 1 Paul Jaeckel (Union Berlin) 1 Reece James (Chelsea) 1 Jules Kounde (Barcelona) 1 Tyrell Malacia (Manchester United) 1 Marquinhos (PSG) 1 Daniel Munoz (Genk) 1 Alfonso Pedraza (Villarreal) 1 Amir Rrahmani (Napoli) 1 Antonio Silva (Benfica) 1 Thiago Silva (Chelsea) 1 Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal) 1 Kyle Walker (Manchester City) 1 Ben White (Arsenal) 1 Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal) 1 MIDFIELDERS Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) 17 Martin Odegaard (Arsenal) 9 Federico Valverde (Real Madrid) 9 Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund) 6 Luka Modric (Real Madrid) 6 Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich) 5 Pedri (Barcelona) 5 Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid) 5 Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) 4 Enzo Fernandez (Benfica) 3 Granit Xhaka (Arsenal) 3 Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City) 2 Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) 2 Marco Verratti (PSG) 2 Benjamin Bourigeaud (Rennes) 1 Hakan Calhanoglu (Internazionale) 1 Casemiro (Manchester United) 1 Brahim Diaz (Milan) 1 Christian Eriksen (Manchester United) 1 Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) 1 Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Tottenham) 1 Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta) 1 Stanislav Lobotka (Napoli) 1 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio) 1 Roberto Pereyra (Udinese) 1 Bernardo Silva (Manchester City) 1 Thiago (Liverpool) 1 Vitinha (PSG) 1 Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Napoli) 1 Piotr Zielinski (Napoli) 1 FORWARDS Erling Haaland (Manchester City) 31 Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) 17 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli) 11 Lionel Messi (PSG) 11 Neymar (PSG) 8 Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid) 8 Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham) 6 Kylian Mbappe (PSG) 5 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) 3 Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal) 3 Sheraldo Becker (Union Berlin) 2 Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona) 2 Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal) 2 Rafael Leao (Milan) 2 Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich) 2 Rafa Silva (Benfica) 2 Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus) 2 Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Bayern) 1 Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich) 1 Vincent Janssen (Antwerp) 1 Jesper Lindstrom (Eintracht Frankfurt) 1 Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig) 1 Victor Osimhen (Napoli) 1 Dango Ouattara (Lorient) 1 Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) 1 Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) 1 Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich) 1 Martin Terrier (Rennes) 1 OCTOBER 2022 EUROPEAN SPORTS MEDIA ESM XI VALVERDE KEPA KIM LEWANDOWSKI KVARATSKHELIA DE BRUYNE GABRIEL HAALAND BELLINGHAM CANCELO MESSI Kim Min-jae Napoli ●●● ●●● Joao Cancelo Manchester City ●● ●● Jude Bellingham Borussia Dortmund ●● ●● Federico Valverde Real Madrid ●●● ●● Robert Lewandowski Barcelona ●●●● ●●● Lionel Messi Paris Saint-Germain ●●●● ●●● SEASON RANKINGS Cumulative votes through the season 98 WORLD SOCCER Kepa Arrizabalaga Chelsea ●● Gabriel Arsenal ●● ●● Kevin De Bruyne Manchester City ●●● ●●● Khvicha Kvaratskhelia Napoli ●●●●● ●●●● Erling Haaland Manchester City ●●●● ●●●●

UK Direct Debit offer only. Youwillpay £15 for yourfirst6 issues. Yoursubscription willcontinueatarate of £21.99 every6 months.*Discountsarecalculated on fullcover price for 1 year. Offerends31stMarch 2023. Yoursubscription willstart with the next availableissue.Pricescorrect at time of print andsubject tochange. LinesopenMon-Fri 8.30am-5.30pm. Callschargedatyourstandard networkrate. Forfull terms andconditionsvisitshop.kelsey.co.uk/terms. Dataprotection:We take greatcareinhandling your personaldetailsandthesewillonly ever be used assetout in ourprivacy policy whichcan beviewed atshop.kelsey.co.uk/privacy-policy. You mayunsubscribeatany time. MAKETIMEFOR YOU BEYOURPERSONALBESTIN 2023 SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE £22 SAVE £22* VISIT SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/NY23HMF ORCALL01959 543747 and quote code NY23HMF HOTLINE OPEN: MONDAY-FRIDAY, 8.30AM-5.30PM. CALLS ARE CHARGED AT YOUR STANDARD NETWORK RATE SCAN HERE Get fit for life + Just £15 for your first 6 months + Save £22 in your first year* Free UK delivery directly to your door + Never miss an issue GREAT REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE RECEIVE 6 ISSUES FOR ONLY £15 IN EVERY ISSUE WORKOUTS FITNESS NUTRITION WELLBEING

TRY BEFORE YOU BUY PitchPublishing Scan the QR code with your mobile device to visit the Pitch Publishing Amazon store and view the latest deals and offers Read sample chapters from hundreds of top sports titles FREE and register for our newsletter to receive all the latest news on forthcoming releases, reviews and awards. www.pitchpublishing.co.uk GREAT NEW FOOTY TITLES TO KICK OFF THE NEW YEAR View our latest offers at Amazon