December 4, 2022 coverage of the World Cup

Our live coverage of the World Cup has ended for today. We’ll be back for tomorrow’s matches! You can read more here, or scroll through the updates below.

In a match that ended in heartbreak for an underdog Senegal squad, the Lions of Teranga played with unwavering support from a dedicated group of their fans.

They danced to the beat of their own rhythmic music from kickoff to final whistle. Their percussion and wind instruments transported us thousands of miles away to West Africa, and every time I looked up, their fans were swaying back and forth in joyful unison.

It caught the eye of the broadcast, too, with TV commentators remarking with admiration on the fans’ spirit — even in a tournament known for its crowd-led chants and songs.

The Senegal supporters never stopped, not even when England scored and captain Harry Kane was celebrating directly in front of them.

Senegal can clearly count on their fans’ wonderful support in international play to come, even as their 2022 World Cup dreams end Sunday evening in Qatar.

The Three Lions triumphed over the Lions of Teranga in our second knockout round match of the day.

In the first half, late goals from Jordan Henderson in the 39th minute and Harry Kane in stoppage time gave England a 2-0 lead going into halftime. The Senegalese were reeling going into the break. And things didn’t get better when play resumed.

Twelve minutes into the second period, Bukayo Saka made it 3-0 England. It is the third goal of the tournament for the young forward.

England’s victory sets up a clash of the titans in the next round. They will face France in the quarterfinals next Saturday. 

Earlier in the day, Les Bleus easily dispatched Poland, 3-1. Kylian Mbappé scored twice for the French to take the lead in the tournament’s Golden Boot race (five goals).

On Friday, Argentina plays the Netherlands in the other quarterfinals match that was set this weekend.

World Cup action resumes tomorrow with more Round of 16 matches. Japan faces Croatia at 10 a.m. ET. Then Brazil plays South Korea at 2 p.m. ET.

England’s Bukayo Saka gets a goal to put his side up 3-0.

That’s already the third goal of this tournament for the young forward, who plays for Arsenal.

The Three Lions appear to be pulling away.

The second half is underway in England and Senegal’s knockout round match.

England leads 2-0, thanks to goals from Jordan Henderson and Harry Kane.

England leads Senegal 2-0 after the first 45 minutes.

For much of the half, it was the Lions of Teranga who looked more dangerous.

Twenty minutes into the match, Senegal’s Ismailia Sarr got a great look at the goal but his shot sailed over.

Ten minutes later, an errant clearance by England’s defense led to another chance at the edge of the 6-yard box for Boulaye Dia. But England goalie Jordan Pickford made a huge save with his left arm to keep it even at nil-nil.

Then, in the 39th minute, Jude Bellingham squared a pass to Jordan Henderson in the box. Henderson deposited the ball in the back of the net.

Senegal desperately needed to get to halftime down just one goal. But Harry Kane had other ideas.

The England captain scored in first-half stoppage time to give the Three Lions a 2-0 lead at the half.

The winner of this match faces France next Saturday in the quarterfinals.

Earlier today, France defeated Poland, 3-1, in a match that featured two goals from French superstar Kylian Mbappé.

Senegal desperately needed to get to halftime down just one goal. But Harry Kane had other ideas.

The England captain scored in stoppage time just before the half, giving the Three Lions a 2-0 lead.

England midfielder Jordan Henderson scored in the 39th minute to put his squad up 1-0 against Senegal.

At 32 years old, the tenured Henderson scored his first World Cup goal and only his third in 73 appearances for the national team. It came via collaboration with another English midfield man: a pass from the teenage Jude Bellingham.

The goal brings a sense of shifting momentum after Senegal seemed to have the favored English squad temporarily on the back foot.

The Senegal coach, 46-year-old Aliou Cisse, can be seen walking the sideline and directing his players as usual — but that seemed in doubt earlier this week after the team said he was dealing with an illness.

“He (Cisse) has been sick for a couple of days now and he let us take charge of training yesterday obviously with his instructions,” assistant manager Regis Bogaert told reporters earlier this week.

But Cisse is present on the pitch as usual.

That’s a boost for his squad, especially given his uniquely fitting experience: Cisse played for Senegal in its victory over Sweden at the 2002 World Cup to reach the quarterfinals.

African nations have lost eight of their nine World Cup knockout round games against European sides, with that victory over Sweden as the lone exception.

Cisse will look to repeat history, this time as a manager.

England forward Raheem Sterling is missing this Round of 16 clash against Senegal due to a “family matter,” the national team announced.

“He’s dealing with a family matter. I’ve had quite a bit of time with him this morning but have now had to pass it on to other people to help him with that,” said England manager Gareth Southgate before the match.

“He’s going to go and deal with that matter and then we’ll have to take it from there really.”

England and Senegal’s knockout round match has begun.

The West African side is looking for an upset while England tries to chart a path deep into this tournament. Let’s go!

Euro 2020 finalist England comes in as a heavy favorite against the West African side.

History would also seem to favor manager Gareth Southgate’s team. England has faced African opposition 20 times, including seven World Cup matches, and has yet to lose.

But as we’ve acknowledged repeatedly in our Qatar 2022 coverage, this tournament has proven that a surprise outcome is always on the table.

Although African nations have lost eight of their nine World Cup knockout round games against European sides, the lone exception was one that featured Senegal’s current manager, Aliou Cisse.

The 46-year-old Cisse played for Senegal in its victory over Sweden at the 2002 World Cup to reach the quarterfinals, just a few games after having beaten 1998 winner France in the tournament opener. He’s surely drawn on that experience in coaching up his squad.

Senegal will be without key midfielder Idrissa Gueye, who is suspended following two yellow cards in the group stage, and star attacker Sadio Mané, who was ruled out for the Lions of Teranga ahead of the tournament with a knee injury.

Senegal could also be without Cisse, who has come down with an illness.

England finished top of its group, twice winning convincingly against Iran and Wales and drawing with the US Men’s National team.

Although star striker Harry Kane has yet to score for England, Southgate’s team has still scored nine goals in three matches, with notable contributions from Marcus Rashford, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka.

“Senegal will be tough,” Southgate said, per Reuters. “They’re very well organized, they’ve got a lot of good individual players playing in big European leagues and their expectations now will rise.”

The two sides clash at 2 p.m. ET at the Al Bayt Stadium.

England

Goalkeeper: Jordan Pickford

Defenders: Kyle Walker, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Harry Maguire

Midfielders: Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson, Jude Bellingham

Forwards: Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden

Senegal

Goalkeeper: Edouard Mendy

Defenders: Kalidou Koulibaly, Ismail Jakobs, Youssouf Sabaly, Abdou Diallo

Midfielders: Nampalys Mendy, Pathé Ciss, Krepin Diatta, Ismaila Sarr

Forwards: Boulaye Dia, Iliman Ndiaye

Brazil’s national soccer team recounted their interactions with soccer great Pelé on Sunday.

Pelé said he’s “strong” and has “a lot of hope” on social media Saturday as he continues his treatment for colon cancer.

Local media in Brazil reported the 82-year-old former footballer’s health had worsened, causing an outpouring from the soccer world in Qatar, where the game’s best have gathered for the 2022 World Cup.

“This is possibly the only person who I actually was shaking when I greeted him,” Brazil head coach Tite said at a news conference Sunday. “I’m speaking from the bottom of my heart, a very emotional moment for me. 

“I stopped and I started shaking,” the coach said, describing his first interaction. “My hands were sweating. My heartbeat increased. ‘Wow!’ I’m going to have the opportunity to greet Pelé.’”

“It’s something that all of us feel is a difficult moment,” Tite said, of monitoring the legend’s health.

Assistant coach César Sampaio added: “I also had … the blessing. I was a player who was in Santos, the same club as Pelé, and I had the opportunity to interact with him sometimes. The very first time I was capped for the national team, I had the opportunity to play with Pelé.”

“To talk to him and interact with him on the pitch — It was so difficult, you know, because of what he is, what he represents,” he continued. “It’s something I never thought would happen in my life.

Brazil faces off against South Korea in the Round of 16 at Stadium 974 in Doha on Monday.

Defending champion France defeated Poland 3-1 in the Round of 16 to advance in the 2022 World Cup.

In the first half, French striker Olivier Giroud opened the scoring. It was Giroud’s 52nd goal for his country, allowing him to pass Thierry Henry as France’s all-time leading goal-scorer.

In the second half, 24-year-old sensation Kylian Mbappé doubled the French advantage when he found the back of the net.

Then in stoppage time, it was Mbappé again. In the 90th minute, he found the back of the net for the fifth time in the tournament.

The young superstar’s five goals in World Cup 2022 thus far lead the golden boot race.

In the final moments of the game, Poland was awarded a penalty for a handball against France in the box. Robert Lewandowski stepped up to the spot. Hugo Lloris stopped the first attempt but was off his line too early. Lewandowski got a second crack and scored to earn Poland a consolation goal.

The French will face the winner of our next match — England vs Senegal — on Saturday.

In the final moments of the game, Poland was awarded a penalty for a handball against France in the box.

Robert Lewandowski stepped up to the spot. France’s goalie Hugo Lloris stopped the first attempt but was off his line too early. Lewandowski got a second crack and scored to make it 3-1.

In the 90th minute, Kylian Mbappé gets his second to put Poland away.

The score stands: France 3, Poland 0.

Kylian Mbappé!

The French superstar has given his side a 2-0 lead over Poland in the second half.

Mbappé, one of the best players in the world at just 23 years old, now has four goals in World Cup 2022. He is currently leading the Golden Boot race for most goals in the tournament.

The winner of this match will move on to face either England or Senegal after their match later today.

France and Poland have kicked off the second half in their knockout round match. The teams went into the break with France leading 1-0.

After 45 minutes, France is leading Poland 1-0 thanks to an Olivier Giroud goal that came late in the first half.

France dominated the early portions of the game forcing multiple saves in the first quarter-hour by Poland’s goalie Wojciech Szczęsny. However, it looked like Poland might have had the best chance of the half.

In the 38th minute, France goalie Hugo Lloris muffed a clearance to turn the ball over. In the ensuing attack, Poland got off a shot from point-blank range that Lloris turned away. On the rebound, the Pols forced another clearance off the line by a French defender, Theo Hernandez. 

In the 44th minute, Olivier Giroud finally broke the deadlock. The French striker put one away to give the French a 1-0 lead. With the goal, Giroud passed Thierry Henry to become the leading goal-scorer for his country at 52.

Olivier Giroud has broken through for France late in the first half.

With that goal, Giroud becomes the leading goal scorer for his country at 52.

In the first 20 minutes, the French have earned 4 corners, forced three saves by Poland’s goalie Wojciech Szczęsny, and are dominating possession (66%).

Polish striker Robert Lewandoski looks a lonely man up top as Poland has had trouble getting forward.

It’s still scoreless about a quarter of the way through this contest.

France and Poland’s knockout round match has begun.

Will the reigning champions continue their march through the tournament, or can Poland pull off a shocking upset? Let’s go.

France comes in as the clear favorite against Poland, though this World Cup has already seen its share of upsets.

The two sides meet at 10 a.m. ET inside Al Thumama Stadium.

Les Bleus was the first squad to advance to the knockout stage and had the advantage of resting most of its stars heading into this match. The reigning champions are looking for an encore performance and are expected to last deep into this tournament.

All eyes will be on the team’s captivating young star Kylian Mbappé, who at just 23 years old is widely renowned as one of the best players in the world.

Mbappé’s squad faces a Poland side spearheaded by Robert Lewandowski, the country’s all-time top goalscorer.

However, France coach Didier Deschamps says Poland possesses many more threats than just the Barcelona striker.

“They’ve had to defend a lot in the group stage and they defended very well. Actually, they love it, but they’re not just a defensive team – just look at who they have up front,” Deschamps told a news conference, per Reuters.

“But there’s more. They have a backbone of players with great international experience, with Kamil Glik, Piotr Zieliński, Grzegorz Krychowiak and some youngsters who have shown they were up to the task. They deserve to be here.”

France

Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris

Defenders: Théo Hernandez, Jules Koundé, Raphaël Varane, Dayot Upamecano

Midfielders: Antoine Griezmann, Aurelien Tchouameni, Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Adrien Rabiot

Forwards: Olivier Giroud

Poland

Goalkeeper: Wojciech Szczęsny

Defenders: Matty Cash, Jakub Kiwior, Kamil Glik, Bartosz Bereszyński

Midfielders: Grzegorz Krychowiak, Jakub Kamiński, Sebastian Szymański, Piotr Zieliński, Przemysław Frankowski

Forwards: Robert Lewandowski

A prominent former Iranian national team soccer player and coach called out authorities for their “silence” following the death of a man celebrating Iran’s defeat against the United States earlier this week.

Mohammad Ahmadzadeh, who played for Iran from 1988 to 1990 and later coached the Malavan F.C. soccer club, asks in a video shared online: “Is it a crime punishable by death, to honk your horn or to be happy?”

According to Norway-based rights group Iran Human Rights (IHR), Mehran Samak, 27, was shot in the head by security personnel when he was out celebrating in Bandar Anzali on Tuesday night.

IHR said they confirmed the information through “several independent sources.” CNN cannot independently verify, as Iran’s government is not allowing foreign media into the country, and has not been transparent in its reporting on protests and protest casualties.

In a video seen by pro-reform news outlet IranWire and shared on social media Saturday, Ahmadzadeh directly called on local Bandar Anzali members of parliament, reformist Ahmad Donyamali and city authorities to be held accountable.

“Hello to all my fellow people of Anzali who are bereaved because we have lost yet another youth, Mehran Samak,” Ahmadzadeh says in the video. “We’ve lost this dear one and all the people of Anzali are bereaved.” 

He continues:

“I don’t know what their crime was. I want to ask the authorities of the city — ‘What was their crime? Is it a crime, punishable by death, to honk your horn or to be happy for whatever reason?’ I want to ask Mr. Donyamali, who considers himself a representative of this city — ‘Why are you silent? Aren’t you a rep of this city? What reaction have you shown to the events so far?’”

Some context: Tuesday’s loss to the US sparked public celebrations by anti-government protesters who have been demonstrating in the streets of Iran for several months.

The protests have been met with a deadly clampdown from authorities.

The nationwide uprising was first ignited by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in mid-September after being detained by the country’s morality police. Since then, protesters across Iran have coalesced around a range of grievances with the regime.

Brazil national team head coach Tite said star forward Neymar will play against South Korea if he practices “okay” on Sunday. 

“He will practice this afternoon, and if everything is okay, he will play,” Tite said at a news conference Sunday. “Neymar being on the lineup depends on the medical department clearing that.”

Neymar sprained his right ankle in his side’s opening World Cup match — a 2-0 win over Serbia — on Nov. 24.

He would be a key factor when Brazil faces off against South Korea in the Round of 16 at Stadium 974 in Doha on Monday.

Brazilian soccer legend Pelé said Saturday that he’s “strong” and has “a lot of hope” as he continues his treatment for colon cancer.

He posted a statement on social media after the soccer world, consumed with the World Cup in Qatar, turned its attention to the hospitalized icon and sent well-wishes.

“My friends, I want to keep everyone calm and positive. I’m strong, with a lot of hope and I follow my treatment as usual. I want to thank the entire medical and nursing team for all the care I have received,” according to the statement on Pelé’s Instagram page.

The 82-year-old was admitted to the Albert Einstein Isreali Hospital in Sao Paulo on Tuesday for a “re-evaluation of the chemotherapy treatment over the colon cancer identified in September 2021,” according to a statement from the medical center.

In December 2021, Pelé was hospitalized and underwent chemotherapy treatment. In September of that year, he underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his right colon, which doctors found during routine examinations.

The US team is out at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, after the Netherlands won 3-1 in the first match of the knockout round.

Netherlands striker Memphis Depay scored in the 10th minute of the match, and then Daley Blind pulled the Dutch ahead by two just seconds before halftime. The Americans had a brief glimmer of hope when they scored a goal in the 76th minute, narrowing the deficit to one. But the Netherlands squashed that, with Denzel Dumfries scoring minutes later.

The Dutch hunkered down and kept the US from ever climbing closer, winning 3-1.

Dumfries is the third player in Netherlands history to be directly involved (via assists or scoring) in three-plus goals in a single World Cup game. He joins Rob Rensenbrink, who did it twice in 1978, and Johan Cruyff in 1974. 

The Oranje will next face the winner of Saturday’s Argentina-Australia match in the quarterfinals Friday. 

It’s a tough way to end the World Cup for a talented and youthful Team USA, which looked like it belonged in this tournament during the group stage.

Despite a wild ricochet that handed Australia a late-game goal and seemed to ignite the team’s offense, Argentina fended off the Socceroos to nab a 2-1 win.

In the 35th minute, Lionel Messi scored his first-ever goal in the knockout rounds of the World Cup.

With the goal, 35-year-old Messi now moves past Diego Maradona (8) for second-most all-time for La Albiceleste at the World Cup. And he now only trails Gabriel Batistuta (10) for most all-time.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi also moves into a five-way tie in the World Cup Golden Boot race for the most goals scored in the tournament.

It was the Argentine star’s 1,000th career appearance in international and club matches.

This victory keeps the dream of a World Cup trophy alive for Messi in what is likely his last appearance in the tournament.

Argentina will next face Netherlands in the quarterfinals on Friday.