DOHA: England scored six goals in its opening World Cup game against Iran, but it was the two it conceded that concern coach Gareth Southgate and provide hope for the United States.
“By the end we looked sloppy,” said Southgate of the 6-2 win over Iran on Monday. He also warned the US would be coming “full-throttle” in Friday’s Group B match.
The tournament has already produced some shocking results, including Saudi Arabia’s win against Argentina and Japan’s upset over Germany.
A win for the US over England would not be on the scale of Saudi Arabia’s win — but Gregg Berhalter’s team is undoubtedly the underdog against one of the tournament favorites.
The two goals conceded against Iran gave Southgate something to focus on in an otherwise encouraging performance.
His message to the players has been clear: They will need to be better against the US team that tied 1-1 with Wales in its opening group game.
“They’re a top nation with a lot of top players who have played in the Premier League and who we’ve come up against,” said England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. “But it’s about us as a squad being 100 percent. It’s about us taking the result from Iran and going into the US game positive.”
One of those Premier League plays is Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic, a point of focus for England’s defense.
“He’s good with both feet, very clinical,” Pickford said. “We’ve got to be wary of him.”
A win for England would see it qualify for the round of the 16 with a game still to play — but the fate of Lionel Messi and Argentina is proof nothing can be taken for granted.
“It’s what World Cup football is all about,” said Pickford. “There are going to be surprises.”
US goalkeeper Matt Turner is predicting more of them at the World Cup.
“You see that the world of football is levelling out in a lot of ways,” he said. “Teams have game plans. Teams have been investing in their youth academies over a number of years.”
“I think the message is when you have one team that’s bought into the same message, you can beat anyone on any given day.”
If US is to produce the latest surprise of the competition, it will have to contain an England attack that was ruthless in the match against Iran, which featured two goals by Bukayo Saka.
“I think it’s pretty clear he’s one of the young stars of world football,” said his Arsenal teammate Turner. “He’s a top, top player and you don’t need me to tell anybody on our team how much of a threat that he poses in the game. He’s scoring goals in a variety of ways. He’s really developed, matured.”
England wary of World Cup upset against US
https://arab.news/44zfy
England wary of World Cup upset against US
- A win for the US over England would not be on the scale of Saudi Arabia’s win
- win for England would see it qualify for the round of the 16 with a game still to play
Ravaglia heroics lead Bologna to Italian Super Cup final in Riyadh
- Despite falling behind early, Bologna equalized in the 34th minute before prevailing on penalties
RIYADH: It was a night of shared football culture in Riyadh as Inter Milan and Bologna met in the second 2025/26 Italian Super Cup semi-final. The travelling Inter support brought their drums, colour and constant noise, blending with Saudi Inter fans to create a lively atmosphere inside the stadium.
The match began at a blistering pace, with Inter taking the lead less than two minutes after kick-off. Marcus Thuram powered home from close range after meeting an accurate cross from Alessandro Bastoni to score the opening goal of the night.
Inter immediately searched for a second, with Ange-Yoan Bonny going close in the fourth minute, feinting past Torbjorn Heggem before dragging his effort just wide of the post.
After Inter’s early barrage, Bologna began to grow into the contest, with Jens Odgaard leading much of the offence. Goalkeeper Josep Martinez was called into action to preserve Inter’s advantage.
The energy among Inter supporters continued to build, with fans jumping in unison and lifting their scarves as they urged their side forward in search of a second goal.
That momentum was checked in the 34th minute, when a VAR review resulted in a penalty for Bologna. Riccardo Orsolini slotted the spot-kick coolly past Martinez to bring I Rossoblu back level.
Inter pushed forward after the break as the game opened up, but there was no getting past Bologna goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia, who made four saves in the second half alone.
Hope briefly returned for the Nerazzurri when Bonny was brought down in the box in the 56th minute, only for the initial appeal for a penalty to be overturned following consultation with VAR.
Less than 10 minutes later, the stadium rose to welcome Lautaro Martinez. Brought on alongside Andy Diouf and Davide Frattesi in a triple substitution, Lautaro made an immediate impact but was unable to find the decisive goal before the end of regular time.
Bologna came within moments of snatching a winner in injury time, but goalkeeper Martinez reacted sharply to make a crucial save, sending the semi-final into a penalty shootout.
The shootout began evenly, with both sides converting their penalties before goalkeepers intervened at either end. Nicolo Barella then fired over the crossbar, only for Juan Miranda to mirror the miss moments later.
Inter’s struggles from the spot continued as Ravaglia made his second save of the shootout, before Jonathan Rowe gave Bologna the advantage. Stefan de Vrij converted to extend the contest, but Ciro Immobile struck decisively to send Bologna through.
The Rossoblu will now face Napoli in the Italian Super Cup final at Al-Awwal Park on December 22, after the Serie A champions defeated AC Milan 2-0 in the first semi-final.
