🎥 Muslera sinks Uruguay, Cape Verde make HISTORY! Belgium with KDB 🤩
· Yahoo Sports
Uruguay bow out of the World Cup after a 1-0 defeat to Spain, a result that allows La Roja to finish the group unbeaten and condemns La Celeste to elimination, paving the way for Cape Verde’s historic qualification. The decisive moment came from yet another major mistake by Muslera, who let a tame, central effort from Alex Baena slip through his hands, gifting the Spaniards the winning goal.Â
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Marcelo Bielsa’s side tried to take the game to their opponents in the opening stages, alternating between high pressing and a more compact defensive shape, but created few truly dangerous chances. Spain, despite once again not sparkling, controlled possession and managed the match in an orderly way, confirming their defensive solidity and keeping their unbeaten run intact in the tournament.
In the second half, Bielsa even replaced Muslera with Rochet and added more attacking weight, but Uruguay still failed to pose any real threat. If anything, nerves and frustration took over late on, culminating in Canobbio’s red card. La Celeste therefore end a disappointing World Cup, marked by individual mistakes, attacking struggles, and the much-debated choices of the head coach, while Spain advance to the round of 32 with confidence, where they will face Austria or Algeria.
Iraq-Belgium 1-5
Belgium also won, brushing aside New Zealand 5-1 with no difficulty at all, and claimed top spot in Group G thanks to a better goal difference than Egypt. A victory that sends the Red Devils into the round of 32 against one of the best third-placed teams, while also avoiding a possible clash with Argentina in the round of 16. The stars of the night were the leaders of the “golden generation,” with De Bruyne and Lukaku decisive in driving the team forward.
Rudi Garcia’s team imposed their rhythm from the opening minutes, dominating possession and creating numerous chances. Trossard opened the scoring after also hitting the post and was the standout performer, later grabbing a brace in the second half. De Bruyne dictated play with his usual quality and scored the third goal, while New Zealand only threatened in spells, pulling one back through Just.
Late on, Belgium put the game to bed for good through Lukaku, who scored with a header shortly after coming on, and Saelemaekers, who netted the fifth. For the Belgians, it is a convincing qualification and a result that makes up for their group-stage elimination at the 2022 World Cup, reviving the ambitions of a team eager to confirm the quality of its most talented generation.
Egypt-Iran 1-1
The match between Egypt and Iran, played in Seattle, ended in a 1-1 draw that decided the fate of Group C. Egypt, thanks to a superior goal difference, secured second place and qualification for the round of 32, where they will face Australia. Iran, meanwhile, will have to wait for the results from the other groups to hope to go through as one of the best third-placed teams.
The match was full of excitement and twists. Egypt took the lead through Saber after goalkeeper Beiranvand parried a Salah effort, but Iran responded with character and found the equalizer thanks to Rezaeian. Taremi missed a penalty, while in the second half Marmoush’s introduction brought fresh life to the Egyptian attack after Salah went off injured.
In stoppage time Iran came within inches of a historic direct qualification: a goal by Khalilzadeh was ruled out by VAR for an offside of just a few centimeters and, moments later, Ezatolahi hit the crossbar. The final draw rewarded Egypt, while the Iranians left the field disappointed, aware they had come within touching distance of a historic result. Before the match there had been controversy over the game taking place during Seattle Pride, but in the end it was football that took center stage.
Cape Verde-Saudi Arabia 0-0
Cape Verde pull off a miracle: thanks to a 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia, helped by Uruguay’s defeat to Spain, the small nation celebrates progression to the next round. On their tournament debut, the team coached by Bubista finished the group unbeaten, with three draws enough to send them through and set up a prestigious clash with Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
Against Saudi Arabia as well, the Cape Verde side put in another convincing display, creating several scoring chances but repeatedly being denied by the alert Al Owais. Once again, one of the key figures in qualification was goalkeeper Vozinha, the team leader and now something of a social media celebrity. The only regret was the missed chances late on, especially Da Costa’s with the goal practically unguarded, but in the end it would not have changed much.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, end their campaign without a win, with two draws and only one goal scored. Head coach Donis’s decision to use Kanno as the attacking focal point failed to produce the desired effect, and the Saudis struggled to create danger. For Cape Verde, however, the dream goes on: the showdown with Argentina will be a historic occasion for a national team that has already surpassed every expectation.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.