World Cup
Morocco win but other heavyweights humbled in World Cup qualifiers
Ghana and South Africa both suffered embarrassing defeats in World Cup qualification on Tuesday while top contenders Cameroon, Guinea, Senegal and Zambia also found it tough on the road as they all dropped points.
On a busy day of 15 matches across the continent, there were also wins for Burkina Faso, the Cape Verde Islands, Morocco, Namibia, Tunisia and Uganda.
But it was the Comoros, with a population of around a million, and Rwanda, ranked 140 in world football, who tore up the form book in beating Ghana and South Africa respectively.
Ghana’s loss in Moroni was a harsh reminder of their humiliation almost two years ago when the Indian Ocean islanders beat them at the African Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon to send then home early. French-born attacker Myziane Maolida scored the game’s only goal this time, his second in successive matches.
Earlier South Africa were beaten 2-0 in Rwanda on a water-soaked pitch in Butare as a 12th-minute opener from Innocent Nshuti was followed by a second for Gilbert Mugisha 14 minutes later.
It was Rwanda’s first victory in their last 11 home matches and took them top of Group C, where they lead not only South Africa but also Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
Senegal, who have qualified for the last two World Cups, went top of Group B despite being held to a goalless draw in Togo while Guinea lost 1-0 away to Botswana in Group G, where Uganda also picked up points by beating Somalia 1-0 after scoring early through Rogers Mato.
In Group D, Cameroon were held to a 1-1 draw by hosts Libya while Mauritius drew 0-0 at home with Angola but the Cape Verde Islands won 2-0 away at Eswatini.
Zambia lost 2-1 away against Niger in Group E after conceding two early goals before captain Patson Daka pulled one back in the second half.
SHOT SPILT
Morocco, semi-finalists at the World Cup in Qatar a year ago, overcame 10-man Tanzania 2-0 in front of a 60,000 strong crowd in Dar-es-Salaam, scoring with a long-range effort from Hakim Ziyech that the home team’s debutant goalkeeper spilt and an own goal in the second half.
Burkina Faso recorded the largest victory margin of the day with the English-based pair of Bertrand Traore and Dango Ouattara both scoring in the 3-0 away win over Ethiopia.
Tunisia’s captain Youssef Msakni converted a penalty two minutes from time to secure a 1-0 away win over Malawi in Lilongwe and make it two wins out of two in Group H where Namibia picked up their first points by beating Sao Tome e Principe 2-0.
The next round of African qualifiers will be played in June, with the continent now turning its focus to January’s Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast.
-Reuters
Nine people sustained non-life-threatening injuries in a shooting near England’s World Cup base camp in Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday, days before the tournament is due to kick off.
Kansas City police said there were no suspects in custody and that at least three of the shooting victims were transported to local hospitals.
The incident occurred roughly four miles from where England are set to train at Swope Soccer Village. England have not arrived in Kansas City and are due to play a friendly against Costa Rica in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the FA declined to comment.
Gun violence is common in the United States, where there were more than 400 mass shootings in 2025, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
-Reuters
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Morocco concluded their preparations for the FIFA World Cup with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Norway in an international friendly on Sunday, showing flashes of attacking quality before being forced to withstand late pressure from the Europeans.
The Atlas Lions made a bright start and took the lead after just seven minutes through star forward Brahim Diaz. The Real Madrid attacker capitalised on space outside the penalty area to unleash a powerful strike that gave Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland no chance.
The goal marked Diaz’s first for Morocco since the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, where he finished as the tournament’s top scorer despite the disappointment of missing a penalty in the final.
Morocco looked the more dangerous side in the opening stages and nearly doubled their advantage midway through the first half. Abdessamad Ezzalzouli connected with a teasing cross from Diaz but sent his volley narrowly off target.
The North Africans continued to threaten after the break. Diaz again tested the Norwegian defence in the 57th minute, forcing Nyland into a save before midfielder Neil El Aynaoui headed the rebound over the crossbar.
While Morocco controlled large portions of the contest, Norway gradually grew into the game and mounted sustained pressure in the closing stages. Their persistence paid off 15 minutes from then when captain Martin Odegaard finished neatly with his left foot after a clever run and assist from Oscar Bobb.
Norway almost snatched victory late on, but Kristian Thorstvedt’s header from Julian Ryerson’s free-kick drifted narrowly wide, allowing Morocco to preserve the draw.
Despite surrendering their early lead, the result offers several positives for coach Walid Regragui ahead of Morocco’s opening World Cup Group C fixture against Brazil in New York on Saturday. The Atlas Lions demonstrated their attacking threat through Diaz while also showing resilience under pressure as they defended resolutely in the closing minutes.
With Brazil, Haiti and Scotland also in Group C, Morocco will take encouragement from another competitive performance as they prepare for one of the toughest opening assignments of the tournament.
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Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman plans to use Monday’s friendly against Uzbekistan in New York as an opportunity for his first-choice line-up to have a proper dress rehearsal ahead of their opening World Cup clash against Japan next weekend.
The rest of the Dutch squad will then play a second unofficial game against the Uzbeks straight afterwards, made up of two 35-minute halves, Koeman announced on Sunday.
“We want to use the first match to make as few changes as possible. We have to wait and see if that works,” he said at a press conference ahead of the clash at the Ichan Stadium.
“We are going to play the first match largely with our starting team. It is also good for guys who are not 100% fit, who can then play in the second match. That is why we are playing two matches.
“We have 26 players, and everyone gets minutes to play. That’s what you want.”
A decision still needs to be made regarding defender Jurrien Timber, who only joined the squad last Thursday after playing for Arsenal in the Champions League final on May 30.
It was Timber’s first outing since March after struggling with a groin injury, and there remains concern over his levels of fitness.
“If he trains and is fully fit, he always makes a good impression. That hasn’t been the case every day, so we have to make a decision,” Koeman told reporters.
“He participated in training, and we are going to sit down with the doctor and Jurrien at the end of Sunday afternoon to see whether he is going to start or not,” the coach added.
The Dutch open their Group F campaign against Japan in Dallas on Sunday. Uzbekistan take on Colombia on June 17 in Group K.
-Reuters
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