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Poor Mexico! A run of seven successive Round of 16 terminated on goal difference

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Group C – Saudi Arabia v Mexico – Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar – December 1, 2022 Mexico’s Jesus Gallardo looks dejected after being eliminated from the World Cup REUTERS/Matthew Childs

Mexico scored twice in five second-half minutes in a thrilling last-ditch bid to stay in the World Cup on Wednesday, beating Saudi Arabia 2-1 but agonisingly missing out on the last 16 on goal difference.

In the most exciting group finale of the World Cup, goals from Henry Martin and Luis Chavez catapulted Mexico back into contention, but a string of spectacular stops by Saudi keeper Mohamed Al-Owais and two disallowed efforts denied them the elusive third goal they needed to advance.

The Mexican rally took the battle for Group C down to the wire in a breathtaking half, where at one stage it looked like the Central American side would miss out to Poland for having more yellow cards, but Saudi striker Salem Al-Dawsari netted in stoppage time to make goal difference the decider.

Mexico’s exit ended a run of seven successive last-16 appearances at the World Cup and defeat for Saudi Arabia killed off what was a realistic chance of them advancing from the group stages for the first time in 28 years.

Having failed to score in their opening two Group C matches, Mexico’s chances of progressing had looked slim going into the match, hinging on the outcome of the game between Argentina and Poland which Argentina won 2-0 to top the group.

“It’s a hard blow, there are no words,” said Mexico midfielder Edson Alvarez.

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“The team went out looking for it from the start and we had a lot of chances. But we couldn’t score and that leaves a bitter taste.”

DESPERATE TACTICS

Urgently needing to beef up their goal difference, Mexico took the game to Saudi Arabia from the start and never stopped running, peppering the goal with speculative long-range efforts in a desperate bid to wrest control of their own fate.

Orbelin Pineda and Chavez were the engines for Mexico in a high-octane match that the Saudis struggled to get into, defending chaotically and failing to create chances on the break as Mexico pressed for goals to match Poland’s tally.

Mexico were aggressive on the attack with a staggering 24 shots on goal, eight on target, demonstrating the pivotal role of goalkeeper Al-Owais in denying them a place in the last 16.

Pineda was the catalyst for the Mexican revival with a low shot saved, a diving header blocked and a long-range strike deflected wide of the post early on.

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His team broke the deadlock two minutes after halftime, when Cesar Montes’s deft back-heel from a corner found Martin who bundled the ball over the line in a crowded goalmouth.

They doubled the lead on 52 minutes when Chavez’s powerful free kick 20 metres out sailed blissfully into the corner of the goal, prompting the Mexican bench to burst onto the field in a frenzy of wild celebration.

It was an emotional rollercoaster in the closing stages. Hirving Lozano found the net but had his effort disallowed and Mexico battled hard for the decisive third but were denied constantly by the reflexes of Al-Owais in the Saudi goal.

Substitute Uriel Antuna had a late effort ruled out for offside four minutes from time before Al-Dawsari shattered Mexican hopes when he grabbed a Saudi consolation goal deep into stoppage time.

Lozano apologised to Mexico fans for not doing enough in the first two matches.

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“We could have done more, but that’s football,” he said.

“I always live the games to the maximum, always giving myself every game, every ball … but well, the results didn’t come.”

-Reuters

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Former Brazil coach Tite taking break to take care of mental, physical health

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Brasileiro Championship - Gremio v Flamengo - Arena do Gremio, Porto Alegre, Brazil - September 22, 2024 Flamengo coach Tite REUTERS/Diego Vara/File Photo

Former Brazil coach Tite said he is taking an indefinite career break in order to take care of his mental and physical health.

The 63-year-old, who led Brazil to the 2019 Copa America title, was hospitalised due to a heart issue last August. He was sacked by Flamengo the following month and had most recently been linked with the Corinthians job.

“I realised that there are times when you have to understand that, as a human being, I can be vulnerable and admitting that will certainly make me stronger,” Tite said in a statement posted on his son Matheus Bachi’s Instagram on Tuesday.

“I’m passionate about what I do and I’ll continue to be so, but after talking to my family and observing the signals my body was giving off, I decided that the best thing to do now is to take a break from my career to look after myself for as long as it takes.

“As has become public, there was a conversation in progress with Corinthians, but it will have to be paralysed by a difficult but necessary decision.”

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Tite, who stepped down as Brazil coach after their quarter-final exit from the 2022 World Cup, has previously coached a string of Brazilian sides including Gremio, Atletico Mineiro and Palmeiras.

-Reuters

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Brazil sack coach Dorival after humiliating loss to Argentina

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World Cup - South American Qualifiers - Argentina v Brazil - Estadio Mas Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina - March 25, 2025 Brazil coach Dorival Junior is seen before the match REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo

Brazil have sacked head coach Dorival Jr, the country’s football confederation (CBF) said on Friday after the five-time world champions were thrashed 4-1 away to fierce rivals Argentina in a humiliating qualifying loss in Buenos Aires.

The 62-year-old was appointed in January 2024 after the team spent a year under two caretaker coaches as the Brazilian FA were unable to lure Italian Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid.

“The Brazilian Football Confederation informs that coach Dorival Jr is no longer in charge of the Brazilian national team,” the confederation said in a statement.

“The management thanks (Dorival) and wishes him success in continuing his career … the CBF will work to find his replacement,” it added.

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Dorival was handed the job after his success with Flamengo in 2022 where he won the Copa Libertadores and Brazilian Cup, a trophy he lifted again the next year with Sao Paulo.

However, he never seemed to get to grips with the national team job and failed to earn the trust of Brazil’s demanding fans after winning only seven of his 16 games in charge.

Sources told Reuters the CBF was not confident in Dorival’s work, considering there had been little to no progress since a lacklustre Copa America campaign when Brazil were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Uruguay last year.

Still, the CBF was willing to wait and see until the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay in June to reassess the situation following the end of the European season and the Club World Cup in the U.S. in June and July.

But after Brazil slumped to their heaviest-ever loss in a qualifier when they were thrashed by Argentina this week, CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues decided to pull the trigger.

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IDEAL CANDIDATE

Sources told Reuters Ancelotti was still the ideal candidate but he is under contract with Real until July 2026 and there is no indication he would leave the European and Spanish champions.

Brazilian media have reported that Al Hilal’s Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus is the favourite to replace Dorival.

Brazil have been in unfamiliar territory for over two years since crashing out of the 2022 World Cup against Croatia on penalties in the quarter-finals, a heartbreaking elimination that led to the exit of long-time manager Tite.

Their humbling defeat in Buenos Aires was the latest of a series of negative records Brazil have set under caretakers Ramon Menezes and Fernando Diniz and with Dorival in charge. They had never conceded four goals in a World Cup qualifier.

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Brazil are in the midst of their worst-ever World Cup qualifying campaign. They are fourth in the South American standings with 21 points, a point above sixth-placed Colombia who currently occupy the final direct qualifying berth.

Never have Brazil lost so many games, conceded so many goals or set so many negative records in the qualifying competition. They have lost five of their 14 games and conceded 16 goals.

Brazil’s 1-0 defeat by Argentina in the Maracana late in 2023 was their first-ever qualifying loss on home soil.

They also lost to Colombia for the first time, saw the end of their unbeaten run against Uruguay stretching back over two decades and were defeated by Morocco and Senegal, having never previously lost to an African nation.

-Reuters

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England’s German manager Tuchel will not sing the English anthem in his first game

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England manager Thomas Tuchel said he would have to “earn the right” to sing the national anthem, God Save the King, after announcing his 26-man squad on Friday ahead of the team’s World Cup qualifiers.

Tuchel, who was appointed as Gareth Southgate’s successor in October and named his first squad to face Albania and Latvia this month, said he would not sing the anthem in his first games in charge.

“It means a lot to me, I can assure you, but I can feel that because it is so meaningful and it is so emotional and it is so powerful, the national anthem, that I have to earn my right to sing it,” the 51-year-old German told a news conference.

Former caretaker manager Lee Carsley was criticised last year for not singing the anthem during his tenure.

However, Tuchel added that while he is proud to be in charge of the team and knows the words to the anthem, he plans to earn the right with results.

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“Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and earn my right from you, from the players, from the supporters, so everyone feels like ‘he should sing it now, he’s one of our own, he’s the English manager, he should sing it’,” he said.

-Reuters

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