A Brazilian side that featured Neymar sealed the top spot in Group C with a 3-0 win over Scotland yesterday, while the co-hosts Canada progressed to the knockouts for the first time in its history.
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There are six games today, including USA, who are already assured top spots in their group. Will coach Mauricio Pochettino make wholesale changes? We’ll be live-blogging all the team news and match action from every game.
World Cup Recap
Sometimes outnumbered but never outsung, not even Scotland’s famed Tartan Army of supporters could inspire their nation to victory against a Brazil side that had the luxury of easing Neymar into the tournament as a late substitute — he created three chances — after a right calf injury had sidelined him for the first two matches.
In truth, it was calamitous defending by Scotland that set the five-time world champions on their way, Vinícius Júnior capitalizing on an early error from Scott McKenna. Vinícius scored a second before Matheus Cunha completed the rout. In the intriguing race for the Golden Boot, Vinícius moved level with Norway’s Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé of France with four goals, one behind the great Lionel Messi of Argentina.
The Seleção top group C, while Scotland is sitting on 3 points and a goal difference of -3. With nine groups still left to play, the Tartan Army face an anxious wait to see if their side will advance past the group stage for the first time in nine attempts.
For the first time in its history, Canada is now in the knockouts, but the 2-1 defeat against Switzerland came at a cost: Its second-place finish on 4 points means the co-hosts won’t play any more home matches. The Swiss have now qualified for the knockout stages in each of the last four tournaments. Also in Group B, third-placed Bosnia-Herzegovina still has a hope of reaching the knockouts for the first time after beating Qatar 3-1.
Group A’s South Africa also reached the knockouts for the first time, stunning South Korea 1-0 in one of the surprise results of the tournament so far. In another first, Mexico won all three of its World Cup group-stage matches. Veteran goalkeeper Memo Ochoa, 40, was brought on to appear in his sixth consecutive World Cup.
Morocco scored two late goals to deny Haiti its first World Cup point.
Preview
Christian Pulisic says he is feeling positive about his recovery from a calf injury and hopes to play a role in the United States’ final World Cup group match against Turkey, which kicks off today at 10 p.m. ET.
The U.S. has impressed so far, securing qualification for the knockout rounds after winning its first two matches, making today’s game against the already-eliminated Turkey at Los Angeles Stadium meaningless. But don’t tell that to winger Timothy Weah, who could be in line for his first start of the tournament as Pochettino rings the changes to keep his players fresh for the round of 32.
In the same group, Paraguay and Australia face off in a decider. The Socceroos only need a draw to finish as Group D runners-up.
Men in Blazers
Groups A, B and C came to a close yesterday, highlighted by a shocking capitulation from Jesse March’s Canada against Switzerland in Vancouver. Les Rouges fell 2-1, with veteran goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau committing a costly error, meaning they fell to second place while losing home-field advantage in the knockouts and four days of rest. In a 3-0 battering of Scotland, manager Carlo Ancelotti appeased the people of Miami with a Neymar cameo. Then, as Mexico eliminated Czechia 3-0 in Mexico City, South Africa stunned South Korea 1-0 in Monterrey, with Bafana Bafana claiming second place in the group, which was promptly followed by some lovely post-match celebrations.
Today, a dramatic evening awaits with multiple guaranteed spots in the Round of 32 up for grabs. First, Group E victors Germany host Ecuador in at 4 p.m. ET, with La Tricolor in a win-or-go-home situation. Minnows Curaçao are looking to shock the field against the Ivory Coast at the same time, with the Blue Wave able to advance with a win over Les Éléphants in Philadelphia.
Then, at 7 p.m. ET, the Netherlands take on Tunisia in Dallas, and Sweden meets Japan in Kansas City. Both the Dutch and the Samurai Blue sit on four points, so if both sides win, the group will be decided by the criteria points. To end things, the USMNT saddles up against Türkiye at 10 p.m. ET in Los Angeles, while Paraguay and Australia face off in the Bay Area in a battle for second place in Group D.
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What to Watch
World Cup! All the games are on Telemundo and Peacock, and all times are Eastern:
- 4 p.m.: Germany vs. Ecuador
- 4 p.m.: Ivory Coast vs. Curaçao
- 7 p.m.: Tunisia vs. Netherlands
- 7 p.m.: Japan vs. Sweden
- 10 p.m.: USA vs. Türkiye
- 10 p.m.: Paraguay vs. Australia