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☆ Tchouameni fires France into halftime lead over England in quarter-final
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Rohith Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AL KHOR, Qatar, Dec 10 (Reuters) - France were leading England 1-0 at halftime in the last quarter-final match of the World Cup after Aurelien Tchouameni put the reigning champions in front after 17 minutes with a long-range strike on Saturday. Shortly after Olivier Giroud had tested Jordan Pickford in the England goal with a header, midfielder Tchouameni found space outside the box and struck a shot that found the bottom corner at the Al Bayt stadium. France keeper Hugo Lloris kept out his Tottenham Hotspur team mate Harry Kane twice while the England skipper felt aggrieved when he was denied a penalty following a challenge from Dayot Upamecano on the edge of the box. The winners will play Morocco in the semi-finals at the same venue on Wednesday. Reporting by Rohith Nair in Al Khor, Qatar; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Fans in Lisbon watch Morocco v Portugal - Lisbon, Portugal - December 10, 2022 Portugal fan reacts as he watches the match REUTERS/Rodrigo AntunesLISBON, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Portugal fans were overcome with sadness and frustration on Saturday after their fancied team crashed out of the World Cup to Morocco, a lower-ranked side that had already ousted Spain. Portugal, fresh from their knockout demolition of Switzerland, were beaten by Morocco 1-0. The country's all-time top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo was again out of the starting line-up after being benched for the last-16 tie against Switzerland. The country's football federation had earlier had to publicly deny reports that the skipper had threatened to leave during the tournament. "We are happy on behalf of the whole of Africa, because Morocco was representing Africa," said Moroccan tourist Amin Abdul, in Lisbon.

☆ I'll have to live with penalty miss, says Kane
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The striker had drawn his side level in the Al Bayt Stadium with a successful spot kick that saw him match Wayne Rooney's record haul of 53 goals for England. After the final whistle Kane dropped to his haunches and stared at the ground before walking tearfully away to be comforted by England manager Gareth Southgate. Kane's miss will be added to some infamous England penalty failures at major tournaments with the likes of Southgate, Chris Waddle and Stuart Pearce all haunted by them, although theirs all happened in penalty shoot-outs rather than in regular play. "As you'd expect he's very, very low, but he has nothing to reproach himself for," Southgate said of Kane. Kane's converted spot kick in the second half was his fourth successful conversion at World Cups, not including shoot-outs - more than any other player in World Cup history.

☆ England have more belief they can win World Cup than in 2018, says Kane
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Rohith Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

England reached the final of the Euros last year where they lost in a penalty shootout to Italy, but Kane is confident they can dethrone world champions France when they meet their European neighbours in Saturday's quarter-final. Of course we went there with the belief that we could win, but it was almost a new experience for a lot of us," Kane said. But whether we had the full belief to go and win the tournament, I'm not quite sure. "I feel like the belief has been building and building over the four or five years now. I know we're going into the game with maybe more belief than what we did back in 2018."

☆ France wary of England's pace and set-piece threat in quarter-final
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Rohith Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Deschamps, who has won the World Cup with France as a player and coach, said he did not see many weaknesses in the England team but they did have some "slightly less strong points". "Pace is often one of the keys - when you are quick then the opponents have less time to get organised. But you need more than just pace to score goals," Deschamps said ahead of Saturday's game at Al Bayt Stadium. "If we compare both sides, there were more English players here who were at the World Cup in Russia than France players," Lloris added. "England reached the semi-finals at the last World Cup and were runners-up at the Euros, there's been a real progression.

☆ Leave Ronaldo alone, says Portugal coach Santos ahead of quarter-final
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Rohith Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Later, the country's football federation had to publicly deny reports that their skipper had threatened to leave during the tournament after talking with Santos. "He (Ronaldo) has never told me he wanted to leave our national team. It's high time to leave Ronaldo alone and acknowledge what he has done for Portuguese football," Santos said. "But we had a normal conversation where I explained my viewpoints and, of course, he accepted. We had a frank and normal conversation."

☆ England scent victory after bold declaration
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Having taken a 78-run lead in the runfest, England declared their second innings on 264-7 to set Pakistan an improbable victory target of 343 with four sessions to go. Opener Imam-ul-Haq (43) and debutant Saud Shakeel (24) were resisting England's victory march when bad light stopped play. Agha Salman's breezy 53 frustrated England who had to toil for about 75 minutes to claim the last three Pakistan wickets. England were rattled early in their second innings with Naseem Shah in the thick of things. Naseem dismissed Ben Duckett, one of four century-makers in England's first innings, for a first-ball duck with the second delivery of the innings.

☆ Heartbroken Australia bow out with heads held high
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Nick Mulvenney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I just hope that everyone back in Australia really respects what we've done," said coach Graham Arnold. Indefatigable running, cohesiveness and pure Aussie grit had earned them back-to-back victories at the World Cup finals for the first time, surpassing even the hallowed 'Golden Generation' side of 2006. They just scraped into the tournament via two playoffs and departed for Qatar with the lowest expectations of any of the six Australia squads who have embarked on World Cup finals campaigns since 1974. On an individual level, young players like central defender Harry Souttar and Goodwin have proved they can mix it with the best in the world. Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ England's Kane working on tapering form to peak in knockout rounds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Rohith Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I think it probably goes back to 2018 in the World Cup. "As the tournament went on I felt like my performances maybe dipped in the latter stages. I was trying to make sure that, physically and mentally, I was in the best place for the knockout stages. I would love to be sitting here with two or three goals now, but I think the group stage has gone well. We know that they're African champions - very proud, great competitive spirit, a lot of belief in the team," Southgate added.

☆ Cameroon strike late to stun Brazil's second-string team 1-0
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Simon Jennings | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

They will face Group H runners-up South Korea, who beat Portugal 2-1, in the next round. Brazil's first-ever defeat to an African opponent at a World Cup will, however, no doubt sting as their reserve players were left to rue the fact they did not take the chance handed to them by their coach. "It's a warning signal," said the 39-year-old Dani Alves, one of the players brought in for the game. Cameroon, whose last win at the World Cup was in 2002 against Saudi Arabia, were on the back foot for most of the match but sprung to life at the death. But in the end it was Cameroon who got the only statistic that actually counted.

☆ Belgium goalless with Croatia at halftime
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Nick Said | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group F - Croatia v Belgium - Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar - December 1, 2022 General view as the Group F statistics are displayed during half time REUTERS/Albert GeaAL RAYYAN, Qatar, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Belgium went into the break locked at 0-0 with Croatia in their decisive Group F clash at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Thursday. Morocco lead Canada 2-1 at halftime in the other match in the pool and as it stands the African side and Croatia are heading into the last 16. Belgium made four changes to their side, dropping skipper Eden Hazard and playing with Dries Mertens as a ‘false nine’, a change in tactics from manager Roberto Martinez. Mertens had a good opportunity when he was set up by Kevin De Bruyne, but shot well over the crossbar. Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ PREVIEW-Soccer-Qatar depart their party looking to avoid third successive loss
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Mark Gleeson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

They were the first country eliminated on Friday, less than a week into the tournament, after losing 3-1 to Senegal. That followed a 2-0 defeat by Ecuador in the tournament’s opening game last Sunday where the Qataris, the Asian champions, blamed stage fright for their poor showing. Four points, though, has the Dutch level at the top of group standings with Ecuador, with Senegal one point behind. A win for the Netherlands over Qatar puts them through as Ecuador and Senegal compete their first-round programme at the same time. But it's not in our game or the way we play,” said Van Dijk after Friday’s 1-1 draw.

☆ Australia edge Tunisia to end 12-year wait for a win at World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Rohith Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AL WAKRAH, Qatar, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Australia beat Tunisia 1-0 at the Al Janoub Stadium on Saturday to register their first World Cup victory in 12 years as they provisionally moved up to second in Group D behind reigning champions France. Tunisia brought on the squad's top scorer Wahbi Khazri in the second half as they upped the tempo in search of an equaliser, but the Australian defence stood firm with goalkeeper and skipper Mat Ryan a calming presence at the back. The victory snapped Australia's seven-match winless run at World Cups since they last picked up three points in a victory over Serbia in 2010. France play Denmark in the other Group D encounter later on Saturday. Reporting by Rohith Nair in Al Wakrah; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Messi keeps World Cup dream alive with magic strike against Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Karolos Grohmann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Messi goal helps Argentina beat Mexico 2-0Late Fernandez goal wraps up all three pointsMessi equals Maradona's World Cup games and goalsLUSAIL, Qatar, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Lionel Messi kept his dream of winning his first World Cup alive by rifling in the opening goal in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Mexico in World Cup Group C, proving he was far from done in the tournament. The Argentine, competing in his fifth World Cup at age 35, has won every other major title in his career but has failed to lift the coveted trophy despite making the final in 2014. "Today starts another World Cup for Argentina," Messi said. Apart from a Lautaro Martinez effort that was well off the mark and another from Messi, Argentina were toothless up front. The South Americans looked more determined after the break and their captain and talisman dragged them out of trouble with his second goal of the tournament.

☆ In pictures: SpaceX's Starship rocket explodes after launch
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Dave Lucas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SpaceX's next-generation Starship spacecraft, atop its powerful Super Heavy rocket, explodes after its launch from the company's Boca Chica launchpad on a brief uncrewed test flight near Brownsville, Texas, April 20, 2023. Less than four minutes into...moreSpaceX's next-generation Starship spacecraft, atop its powerful Super Heavy rocket, explodes after its launch from the company's Boca Chica launchpad on a brief uncrewed test flight near Brownsville, Texas, April 20, 2023. Less than four minutes into the flight, the upper-stage Starship failed to separate as designed from the lower-stage Super Heavy, and the combined vehicle was seen flipping end over end before exploding. The spacecraft reached a peak altitude of nearly 20 miles (32 km) before its fiery disintegration. REUTERS/Joe SkipperClose

☆ Richarlison turns on style as silky Brazil see off Serbia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Rohith Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It was his ninth goal for Brazil in seven games in 2022 as Brazil leapfrogged Switzerland, who are second in the group after they beat Cameroon 1-0. Tite's decision to go with four forwards - Neymar, Vinicius Jr., Raphinha and Richarlison - in his attacking lineup paid off handsomely as the South Americans dominated the match and made Serbia work hard every time they went forward. Serbia had been sweating over the fitness of their all-time top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic but coach Dragan Stojkovic named him in the starting lineup. The second half was one-way traffic as Brazil shifted through the gears, Richarlison and Neymar wasting gilt-edged chances inside the box and Alex Sandro and Casemiro sending long-range efforts against the woodwork. An almost perfect night for Brazil was, however, soured when Neymar came off in the 80th minute with what looked like an ankle injury after a crunching tackle from Nikola Milenkovic.

☆ Japanese apprentices out to upstage German masters
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Nick Mulvenney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We are very grateful to the Germans, they are role models for us," Moriyasu told a news conference on Tuesday. "We are still developing, of course, and at the same time have incorporated good qualities from Japan into our playing style. "So we have kind of mixed feelings about playing Germany but no matter who our opponents are, we are going to give absolutely the best performance that we can." Group E also includes former champions Spain as well as Costa Rica, presenting Japan with their toughest first-round draw in their seventh successive trip to the World Cup finals. Moriyasu said that did not alter their ambition to get beyond the last 16 for the first time at a World Cup.

☆ Lewandowski misses penalty as Poland draw with Mexico at World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Rohith Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/7] Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group C - Mexico v Poland - Stadium 974, Doha, Qatar - November 22, 2022 Poland's Robert Lewandowski with teammates after the match REUTERS/Carl RecineDOHA, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Poland skipper Robert Lewandowski failed to break his World Cup duck when he saw a second-half penalty saved in a goalless but entertaining draw with Mexico in their opening Group C game at Stadium 974 on Tuesday. Lewandowski earned the penalty after a VAR check 11 minutes into the second half when Hector Moreno tugged at his shirt in the box. But the Polish striker, who has never scored at the World Cup, saw his shot saved by goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. The tactical change seemed to work initially as Poland began creating chances and eventually won the penalty which Lewandowski shot low but Ochoa guessed correctly and dived to his left to deny the skipper. The result leaves Saudi Arabia as group leaders following their stunning upset of Argentina, one of the pre-tournament favourites, earlier in the day.

☆ Seven European World Cup captains ditch OneLove armband following FIFA pressure
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

FIFA has threatened to issue yellow cards to any player wearing the multi-coloured armband which was introduced to support diversity and inclusion. England captain Harry Kane spoke on Sunday of his desire to wear the armband in Monday's Group B opener against Iran. "I will not carry the confrontation created by FIFA onto the back of (Germany team captain) Manuel Neuer." FIFA launched its own captain's armband campaign ahead of the tournament to promote different causes for each round. According to FIFA rules, team equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images, and during FIFA Final Competitions, the captain of each team "must wear the captain's armband provided by FIFA".

☆ Adams feels honoured to captain U.S. at World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Hritika Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The responsibility has rotated between multiple players throughout Berhalter's tenure, with Adams, Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Walker Zimmerman all having held the role since the start of World Cup qualifying. "We're proud to announce Tyler as the captain for the World Cup. "For the last three and a half years we've been working with the leadership council... and they thought it'd be better to have a captain named for the World Cup. Adams has captained the side nine times in his 32 caps and wore the armband in seven of his 12 appearances during World Cup qualifying. He will be the youngest American captain at a World Cup since Walter Bahr in 1950.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Nov 16 (Reuters) - NASA's towering next-generation moon rocket blasted off from Florida early on Wednesday on its debut flight, a crewless voyage inaugurating the U.S. space agency's Artemis exploration program 50 years after the final Apollo moon mission. [1/3] NASA's next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion crew capsule, lifts off from launch complex 39-B on the unmanned Artemis1 mission to the moon at Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S. November 16, 2022. REUTERS/Joe Skipper 1 2 3Addressing mission control moments after liftoff, Artemis launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson saluted the hard work of her colleagues. SPACEFLIGHT STRESS TESTGetting the SLS-Orion spacecraft off the ground was a key hurdle for the ambitious Artemis program. NASA's Office of Inspector General has projected total Artemis costs at $93 billion by 2025.

☆ England storm into World Cup final with 10-wicket rout of India
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ADELAIDE, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Alex Hales and captain Jos Buttler shone in a record unbroken opening partnership as a ruthless England humiliated India by 10 wickets at Adelaide Oval on Thursday to storm into the Twenty20 World Cup final. England, who won the 50-over World Cup on home soil in 2019, can now become the first team to hold both global trophies in white-ball cricket when they meet Pakistan in Sunday's final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Their 170-run stand was the biggest opening partnership in T20 World Cup history and England's biggest for any wicket at the tournament. It set up a mouthwatering duel against Pakistan, 30 years on from the teams' 50-over World Cup final in 1992 at the MCG which the south Asians won. England had to make changes for the semi-final, with pace spearhead Mark Wood and number three batsman Dawid Malan out injured.

☆ New Zealand's Williamson rues poor performance rather than result
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Nick Mulvenney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 9 (Reuters) - New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was frustrated by his team's sub-par performance as their Twenty20 World Cup dream ended with defeat to Pakistan in Wednesday's semi-final. The loss means Black Caps will return home without a trophy from a fifth straight white-ball World Cup, despite reaching at least the semi-finals in all of them. "The journey in this tournament has been a lot of good but it's just frustrating not put out a better performance today," he told reporters. Asked about again failing to get his hands on any silverware, Williamson reverted to his focus on performance. "And then we've got met by a side that's played a little bit better or about equal.

☆ Storm Nicole churns toward Bahamas en route to Florida and hurricane status
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Brian Ellsworth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Beachgoers are shown as tropical storm Nicole approaches the state in Miami Beach, Florida, U.S., November 8, 2022. A hurricane warning was posted for Grand Bahama Island, Bimini, the Berry Islands and the Abacos in the northwestern corner of the West Indies archipelago nation, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. A 240-mile expanse of Florida's Atlantic shoreline from Boca Raton north to around Flagler Beach was likewise placed under a hurricane warning. "It's going to take more than a Category 1 hurricane or so to really move stuff and have them flying around." Forecasters said Nicole would likely sweep across central and northern Florida into southern Georgia on Thursday.

CNN —The Houston Astros won the franchise’s second World Series title on Saturday after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 in Game 6 at Minute Maid Park. After falling behind 2-1 through the first three games of the World Series, Houston evened up the series after throwing a combined no-hitter in Game 4. Party!”The Houston Astros celebrate their World Series win against the Philadelphia Phillies in Houston, Texas, on Saturday, November 5. Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos/Getty Images The Houston Astros celebrate their win in Game 5 of the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, November 4. The Phillies hit five home runs in the game, tying a World Series record, and they won 7-0 to take a 2-1 series lead over the Houston Astros.

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