World Cup 2022: matchday 5 summary and round-up, 24 November
World Cup 2022 live: Day 5
World Cup headlines: Thursday, 24 November 2022
- Portugal beat Ghana 3-2 to go top of Group H
- Cristiano Ronaldo becomes first man to score at five World Cups
- Embolo goal gives Switzerland opening win over Cameroon
- Uruguay and South Korea draw 0-0 in day's second game
- Welsh FA chief slams FIFA's "cheap", "low" stance on 'One Love' armbands
- Comeback king Rafa Nadal tips Argentina to bounce back
- FIFA opens disciplinary case over Mexico fans' homophobic chants
- Watch the World Cup live on Fubo (free trial available)
- All eyes on CR7 and Neymar as Portugal and Brazil open 2022 WC campaigns
Browse our latest World Cup 2022 articles:
The German miracle
Former international player Jürgen Klinsmann says Germany need a miracle to win against Spain if they don't want to be kicked out of the competition in the group stage, as it already happened four years ago in the World Cup held in Russia.
Happy faces among the Brazilian players
Brazilian players and fans had reasons to smile after the final whistle vs. Serbia.
Taking into account that some favorites are having a hard time in the World Cup and that now they will have to do their best to qualify for the next round, Brazil's 2-0 over the European nation will make them go into the match vs. Switzerland full of confidence and composure.
And Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker knows it...
Senegal fans know how to have fun
The Senegalese fans have traveled to Qatar to guide their national team to the round of 16. And even if they saw them lose to the Netherlands, they kept singing and dancing in the stadium until the very end.
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Cristiano Ronaldo has won 32 team trophies in his career, but he has never lifted the World Cup. The Portuguese superstar will try to lead his teammates to glory in Qatar in his last attempt to win the tournament.
A week to remember
All 32 teams have played once. It's been a great week of soccer but there's way more to come!
Saudi Arabia and Japan have shocked the world by defeating Argentina and Germany respectively in two of the biggest upsets in recent times.
The World Cup is just... unpredictable.
A goal for the ages
Richarlison scored two goals for Brazil in their opener vs. Serbia, the second with a spectacular acrobatic kick, to help La Canarinha beat the European nation 2-0.
The Tottenham Hotspur forward will never forget his brilliant performance in his first World Cup appearance.
The USMNT getting ready for England
Gregg Berhalter's men had their final training session ahead of their World Cup clash vs. England. The USA will try to get a positive result against the Three Lions after their 1-1 draw in their opener vs. Wales.
Tottenham celebrates their player
The London team congratulated their player on winning the MVP for the game that his national team won against Serbia.
Ronaldo to give MVP to Joao Felix
The ex-Manchester United star said he doesn’t deserve the MVP and would have given the trophy to his teammate.
Neymar might miss the next few games. Tite says he will be fine and can compete for the rest of the tournament.
In Group G, five-time World Cup winners Brazil get their campaign underway against Serbia in just a few minutes' time, at 2pm ET.
Joe has live-text coverage of the game - join him!
Portugal edge Ghana in Group H thriller
It's all over at Stadium 974, where Portugal have beaten Ghana 3-2! Osman Bukari's late goal gave the Ghanaians hope, but the Portuguese held on and go top of Group H after one round of fixtures.
ICYMI, Cristiano Ronaldo netted a penalty to became the first man to score at five different World Cups.
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My colleague Andy Hall has just written this piece on Ronaldo's record-breaking goal.
Goals a-plenty at Stadium 974 now!
It's raining goals in Group H now. After Ronaldo's spot-kick opener, André Ayew equalised for Ghana with 72 minutes on the clock - but Portugal have replied with goals by Joao Félix and Rafa Leao to lead 3-1!
Ronaldo makes history!
We have a goal in Group H now: and it's Cristiano Ronaldo who has scored it! The 37-year-old has netted from the spot for Portugal to become the first man to score at five different World Cups.
Still goalless between Portugal and Ghana
We're still waiting for the first goal in Group H: it remains scoreless between Portugal and Ghana at Stadium 974, where the second half is five minutes old.
Join Joe for live-text coverage of the action.
(Photo: Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
After Uruguay and South Korea's stalemate at Education City Stadium, Portugal and Ghana face off at Stadium 974 with the chance to end matchday one top of Group H.
My colleague Joe Brennan is watching that game, which kicked off just over 10 minutes ago. Join him for the action.
Cameroon coach Song proud of Swiss scorer Embolo
Cameroon coach Rigobert Song is proud of "little brother" Breel Embolo despite the Switzerland striker scoring the winning goal against his side in their World Cup Group G opener at the Al Janoub Stadium on Thursday.
Yaounde-born Embolo netted the winner against his birth country on 48 minutes but refused to celebrate as the Swiss claimed victory in a game in which they were second best in the first half, but much improved after the break. Song was seen speaking to Embolo after the game and said he offered his congratulations.
"We know each other, he is my little brother," Song told reporters. "We often speak to each other on the phone and I wanted to congratulate him. It is fair play to do so. Just because we are on different teams, it does not mean we are not still brothers."
Song added that despite plunging his side to a defeat, he was proud that Embolo had scored a goal at the World Cup. "He did not celebrate his goal, but this is all part of football," Song added. "I’m happy for him and proud of him. He is with the Swiss national team and I would have liked him to be on my side, but that is the way of life. For us the most important thing is how did we play on the pitch, what could we have done better, rather than worrying who was scoring goals against us."
It has finished 0-0 in Al Rayyan - the fourth goalless draw already at the 2022 World Cup.
Roddy has been following the action at Education City Stadium - join him for the reaction to Uruguay 0-0 South Korea.
Still no breakthrough in Al Rayyan
It remains goalless at Education City Stadium, where there are just over 10 minutes to go in Uruguay and South Korea's Group H opener.
Join Roddy for the closing stages of the game.
(Photo: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
Welsh FA chief slams "cheap", "low" FIFA stance on 'One Love' armbands
Noel Mooney, the chief executive of the Welsh FA, has laid into FIFA over its decision to threaten sporting punishments for any players who wear the ‘One Love’ armband during World Cup games.
Wales captain Gareth Bale was among a number of national skippers who abandoned plans to sport the armband in Qatar, after world football’s governing body said players would risk a yellow or even red card if they did so.
“For months and months, we’ve known that we were going to wear the ‘One Love’ armband - they [FIFA] certainly did,” Mooney told an interview with ITV.
“And to lay that one on us is pretty cheap and pretty low, to be frank, and we’re really disappointed by that attitude.”
He added: “We’ve been absolutely furious about this. We’ve given FIFA everything we’ve got in terms of how furious we are about this decision to do this. We think it was a terrible decision.
“I understand why everybody would be upset about the ‘One Love’ armband not being there. But there was no way we could ask Gareth Bale to take a yellow, a red card in his first World Cup. How could you do that?
“And anybody who thinks the players just take a red card like that don’t really understand the psyche of a professional athlete who’s going out to play the biggest moment of their lives.”
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Lions feature on both the royal arms of England and Scotland but why those specific animals and where did the heraldry originate? We look at the history of the England badge and their nickname, Three Lions.
Uruguay and South Korea's Group H clash is underway at Education City Stadium - you can follow live-text coverage of that game with Roddy.
How does head coach Gregg Berhalter stack up against his recent USMNT predecessors?
Al Wakrah / Abir Sultan / EFE
Switzerland secure opening win
A solitary goal from Breel Embolo was enough for the Swiss side to open their campaign with a win as the No. 7 becomes the first ever player at a World Cup tournament to score against his country of birth.
Uruguay-South Korea next up
With the clock ticking down on the Group G clash between Cameroon and Switzerland, our focus turns to the Group F opener as Uruguay (the darkest of the dark horses) face South Korea.
Roddy is on the decks and will be bringing you the live action from Education City Stadium.
With 15' to go, Switzerland lead
A solitary goal from Cameroon born Embolo is enough for the European side to edge towards to securing all three points in a contest that has been far from a classic.
FIFA seeks talks with WC organisers over rainbow flag issues
Ahead of the competition, World Cup organisers went out of their way to reiterate how everyone was welcome in the tiny Gulf nation and how rainbow flags would be allowed into the eight stadiums.
Incidents this week involving a Wales fan with a rainbow coloured bucket hat, a high profile US journalist with a rainbow t-shirt and even a Brazilian reporter with the state flag of Pernambucohave shown that this is not the case prompting FIFA to demand talks with the local event organisers, the Supreme Committee as the pre tournament stance seems to have shifted.
First reports of fan related violence in Doha to date during the tournament
Why was the One Love armband banned?
In a joint statement, the football associations of countries planning on wearing the armband said FIFA had threatened to issue yellow cards to any player wearing it.
* 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".
* Wales said the countries involved had been prepared to pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations, but sporting sanctions had been a step too far.
* German Football Association president Bernd Neuendorf said that although FIFA's decision was unprecedented, it was unfair for the players to shoulder the responsibility for any potential consequences if they decided to wear it anyway.
* The Dutch FA said it had taken the decision not to wear the armband with "a heavy heart".
Key stats ahead of Mexico-Argentina
* The teams first met all the way back at the inaugural World Cup in 1930, when Argentina won 6-3.
* Argentina have beaten Mexico 16 times in 35 meetings (D14 L5), including all three at a World Cup. They last locked horns in the competition in 2010, when Argentina won 3-1.
* Mexico last beat Argentina in the Copa America in 2004 but have lost to the South Americans eight times since then (D2).
Lionel Messi / JUAN MABROMATA / AFP
Messi's Argentina seek rapid redemption against Mexico
Argentina hope to restore their status as a tournament favourite against goal-shy Mexico in their Group C clash on Saturday where both heavyweights of Latin American football need to improve on disappointing starts to the World Cup.
The Argentines suffered one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history, with a 2-1 reverse to low-ranked Saudi Arabia, as captain and top scorer Lionel Messi embarked on his fifth and final attempt to win the only prize that has eluded him.
Mexico's low-scoring and injury-hit squad bore out pre-tournament pessimism in their first game, drawing 0-0 against Poland and only avoiding defeat thanks to a stunning save from veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.
So an already spicy-looking encounter has become even hotter for both teams if they are to avoid the ignominy of early exit.
"We have to win or win," Messi said. "It's up to us to correct mistakes and get back to the basics of who we are."
Barcelona concerned about Uruguayan Araujo's World Cup fitness
Barcelona have expressed concerns about the fitness of their Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo at the World Cup but they are not planning to send a report about the case to FIFA.
The 23-year-old Araujo, a key player in his national team's defence, sustained a thigh injury during Uruguay's 1-0 defeat by Iran in a friendly in September.
Spanish media reported that Barcelona were prepared to outline their case to FIFA and a club source said two physiotherapists had travelled to Qatar with Araujo to work with Uruguay's medical staff.
"We keep in communication but we are worry about Araujo's recovery being accelerated... Still we are waiting for the opinion of our physiotherapists to be taken into account," the source said. Uruguay coach Diego Alonso talked about the possibility of Araujo playing in their opening World Cup Group H game against South Korea on Thursday.
Coming up on Day 5
How and where to watch and follow Thursday’s games
Switzerland vs Cameroon ko 05:00 am ET
Uruguay vs South Korea ko 08:00 am ET
Portugal vs Ghana ko 11:00 am ET
Brazil vs Serbia ko 2:00 pm ET
U.S. team forsake Thanksgiving to focus on England
Matt Turner's Thanksgiving usually involves turkey dinner and all the trimmings with his family back in Park Ridge, New Jersey but this year will be a little different.
While the United States shuts down on Thursday, goalkeeper Turner and his U.S. team mates will be busy preparing for their showdown with England at the World Cup in Qatar.
The 28-year-old, who joined Arsenal from MLS side New England Revolution in June, will certainly be in no mood for gifts as he tries to shut out Gareth Southgate's side.
A daunting prospect, compared to tucking into a seasonal feast, but Turner is more than happy to skip the routine as the U.S. attempt to repeat their famous World Cup win over England 72 years ago in Belo Horizonte.
"Yeah, every Thanksgiving, probably 30 or 40 of my family and friends all gather at my mom and dad's house back in Park Ridge," Turner told reporters on Wednesday.
"So yeah, we're gonna miss out on that but mom and dad are here in Qatar. It'll be a little bit different for the people back home this time around, but look forward to the future many more times with them."
Massive drop in German TV audience for 'Mannschaft' opener
Some 9.2 million people tuned in to broadcaster ARD's coverage to see Germany play Japan in the World Cup on Wednesday, according to data from audience measurement firm AGF.
That compares with 25.96 million viewers during Germany's opening match against Mexico in the 2018 World Cup.
Wednesday's match, in which Japan scored a stunning 2-1 upset over four-times champions Germany, took place at 2 p.m. local time, when many people were at work. The German team's opening match in 2018 was broadcast at 5 p.m.
Hello and welcome to our daily feed at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. What shocks and surprises are in store today after both Saudi Arabia and Japan shocked the world with their respective wins over Argentina and Germany respectively?
Stay with us for all the latest and breaking news from Qatar.