'Resounding' victory could breed complacency - Luis Enrique
Luis Enrique warned overconfidence could cause Spain's downfall when they face Germany in their second Group E clash on Sunday.
Costa Rica Sport News
Australia beat Tunisia 1-0 to revive their World Cup campaign
AL WAKRAH, Qatar: Australia only needed to avoid defeat to stay in the World Cup. The Socceroos did more than that in a 1-0 win over Tunisia on Saturday.Mitchell Duke gave Australia the lead midway through the first half with a header and Australia went on to register their first win at soccer’s biggest event since a victory over Serbia back in 2010.The result means Australia still have a chance to qualify for the round of 16, despite losing 4-1 to defending champion France in their opening match.France and Australia lead Group D with three points each, while Denmark and Tunisia have one point each.France play Denmark later tonight.In the final round of group games on Wednesday, Tunisia play France and Australia meet Denmark.After a scrappy start from both sides, Australia went ahead with a play out of the back from their goalkeeper.
Ronaldo’s ‘total genius’ won World Cup penalty, says FIFA group
DOHA: Cristiano Ronaldo showed “total genius” by winning a controversial penalty in Portugal’s World Cup win over Ghana, FIFA technical study group member Sunday Olizeh said on Saturday. The veteran striker went down after a tackle by Mohammed Salisu on Thursday before scoring the resulting spot-kick to become the first man to net at five World Cups.
Brazil with plenty of options to replace Neymar at World Cup
DOHA: With Neymar out for at least another match, Brazil coach Tite must now start thinking about a replacement — and this time he has plenty of options. Brazil are not as Neymar-dependent as they used to be, and Tite could go several different ways to replace the Paris Saint-Germain forward for Monday’s Group G match against Switzerland. Neymar hurt his right ankle in Brazil’s opening 2-0 win against Serbia on Thursday.
Swiss defender Elvedi says Brazil are beatable
DOHA: Switzerland center-back Nico Elvedi said on Saturday his side would not be awed by the might of Brazil, saying they had enough quality to push the tournament favorites. “Every team in this world is beatable,” the Borussia Moenchengladbach defender said ahead of Monday’s game against the five-time champions. “We know the challenge, but we are not going to hide away.
‘Reinvented’ Nick Kyrgios inspired to win new fans ahead of Saudi debut at Diriyah Tennis Cup
DIRIYAH: Tennis superstar Nick Kyrgios admits he is hugely relishing a chance to showcase his talents to new fans of the sport in Saudi Arabia next month.
'We have to keep going': Japan buoyed by Germany victory, but not getting carried away
DOHA: Their historic 2-1 triumph over Germany may have sent shockwaves reverberating across the footballing world, but Japan are refusing to get carried away.
Japan aims for World Cup knockout stage against Costa Rica
DOHA, Qatar: How big was Japan’s 2-1 upset of Germany in the opening round of the World Cup?Newspapers in Japan used the term “Daikimboshi” from sumo wrestling to describe the magnitude of the surprise: when a low-ranked wrestler overpowers a grand champion.The victory has also been compared to Japan’s 34-32 upset of powerful South Africa in the 2015 rugby World Cup in England.Japan was the underdog against four-time champion Germany, but it will be a strong favorite in its next Group E match against Costa Rica, where a victory could move Japan into the knockout stage with a game to spare.A loss by Costa Rica on Sunday would eliminate it from advancing. Costa Rica faces Germany in its final match and Japan goes against Spain.Costa Rica is reeling from a 7-0 thrashing against Spain in its opener, and it’s anyone’s guess how the Ticos will respond.