Another day at the World Cup has passed with plenty of drama, including a stunning five-goal thriller that has South Korea at risk of a premature exit.
Now attention will turn to Day 10’s slate of games, kicking off with Senegal facing Ecuador in a must-win game at 2am [AEDT].
Netherlands and Qatar will be playing at the same time, with the later matches starting at 6am.
First up it is USA and Iran before England will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing last-start draw when they play Gareth Bale and Wales.
You can follow all the latest action from all four games below!
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FULL FIXTURES: All the key games, times and every Socceroos match in Qatar
ECUADOR VS SENEGAL — Coach’s clear message with World Cup fate on the line
Senegal coach Aliou Cisse on Monday urged his players “not to overthink” their World Cup showdown with Ecuador, knowing they likely must win their final group game to reach the last 16.
Senegal bounced back from an opening loss to the Netherlands by beating hosts Qatar, but the African champions are a point behind the Dutch and Ecuador going into the last round of Group A matches.
“We understand that winning will allow us to continue the adventure and that’s what we want to do,” Cisse said, praising Tuesday’s opponents Ecuador as “a beautiful team”.
Senegal were eliminated in the group stage in 2018 on fair play rules after finishing level on points with Japan.
Cisse said his side was keeping a “cool head” and promised “not to overthink the game tomorrow” despite the weight on their shoulders.
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“We are OK, we are dealing with pressure and stress. For me it is good stress. “We are working day in, day out. I have been working with my players and we have been working for years to get to the World Cup.” The former Paris Saint-Germain and Birmingham City player, who took over as Senegal coach in 2015, said his team needed to keep perspective despite the importance of the occasion.
“Football isn’t war, no one is going to die in battle – I hope not anyway – but it is a decisive game.” Cisse said he has no injury concerns ahead of the game and revealed that star forward Sadio Mane, ruled out of the tournament with a leg injury, has been willing his teammates on from afar.
“Sadio is still with us, even if we don’t speak (daily). I know he sends messages to the boys at the end of each game — he is with us.”
Follow updates from Ecuador vs Senegal below. Can’t see it? Click here!
NETHERLANDS VS QATAR — Dutch star brushes off Man Utd links
In other games on Tuesday, the Netherlands face already eliminated hosts Qatar as the Dutch strive to finish top of Group A.
Ecuador, who are level with the Dutch on four points, will finish top of the group if they come up with a better result against Senegal than the Netherlands manage against Qatar.
The winners of Group A will face the runners-up from Group B in the last 16. Failure to top the group could conceivably see the Netherlands face England in the second round.
Holland manager Louis van Gaal is unfazed by whoever his team meets in the next round.
“If you want to become world champions you have to be capable of beating anyone,” van Gaal said.
Dutch forward Cody Gakpo has been the star for the Dutch so far, scoring in each of their first two Group A games.
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He said he was flattered by transfer rumours linking him with a move to Manchester United but is focused on the World Cup.
The 23-year-old PSV Eindhoven player was allegedly courted by United’s Dutch manager Erik ten Hag in the close season before the Red Devils decided to sign Brazilian Antony from Ajax instead.
But press reports have said United will go back in for Gakpo in January. “My focus is now on the World Cup. It’s always nice to hear such rumours but I just try to focus here and do my best,” he said.
Gakpo has had a stunning start to the season with PSV and is top scorer with nine goals in the Dutch league. He has also provided a league-high 12 assists.
He scored the Netherlands’ opening goal in their 2-0 win over Senegal and then gave them the lead in their 1-1 draw with Ecuador.
“I’m not surprised of what I’m capable of, but (…) I think I can improve a lot of things,” he added.
Follow updates from Ecuador vs Senegal below. Can’t see it? Click here!
IRAN VS USA — Added dimension to politically charged clash
The United States and Iran meet in a politically charged winner-takes-all World Cup clash on Tuesday as England aim to reach the last 16 as group winners with victory over Wales.
Ever since the draw for the tournament was made in April, the Group B game between the US and Iran has stood out as one of the highlights of the first phase in Qatar.
Even with little riding on the result, the game at Thumama Stadium would have been loaded with political overtones, only the third meeting on a football field of two nations who share more than 40 years of ideological enmity.
But Tuesday’s match carries an additional dimension with both teams knowing that a win will see one of them advance to the knockout rounds while the loser is eliminated.
As if that wasn’t enough, simmering tensions flared up at the weekend after the US Soccer federation posted a modified version of the Iranian flag on their social media feeds.
The move infuriated Iranian football chiefs, who lodged a complaint with world governing body FIFA demanding sanctions.
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US Soccer initially said the altered flag was intended as a gesture to show support for women protesters in Iran, before subsequently deleting the various posts.
Coach Gregg Berhalter said on Monday his players and team staff had been in the dark about the flag gesture and sought to de-escalate tensions by emphasising that politics would not be a factor on Tuesday.
“When I think about this match I know that a lot of other constituents have a lot of other feelings towards it,” Berhalter said.
“But for us it’s a soccer game against a good team and it’s not much more than that. It’s a knockout game between two good teams that want to get to the next round.” Iran counterpart Carlos Queiroz brushed off suggestions that the flag furore would be used to motivate his players.
“If after 42 years in this game as a coach I still believe I can win games with those mental games, I think I’ve learned nothing about the game,” the Portuguese coach said.
Follow updates from Ecuador vs Senegal below. Can’t see it? Click here!
WALES VS ENGLAND — Southgate set to ring changes
England manager Gareth Southgate is poised to ring the changes as his team chases victory against Wales on Tuesday to ensure qualification as World Cup Group B winners.
Southgate picked the same starting line-up for last week’s games against Iran and the United States, but is expected to bring in fresh faces for Tuesday’s final group game against the Welsh.
A win for England at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha will guarantee that Southgate’s men finish on top of Group B heading into the last 16.
England were booed off the field after their 0-0 draw with the United States last Friday after a sluggish performance that was in stark contrast to their rampant 6-2 opening win over Iran.
It has led to a growing clamour for new faces, notably Manchester City’s Phil Foden, to be brought into the starting line-up, with all eyes on whether he gets minutes this time around.
“We’ve got to balance freshness with stability and that’s always the decision you make when you’re picking a team,” Southgate told a news conference on Tuesday.
“We’ve got a chance to win the group with a positive result. There’s a lot resting on the game for both teams.”
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England could still qualify for the knockout rounds with a draw or even a narrow loss, but Southgate had his team would be chosen with victory in mind.
“We’re going to pick a team that we believe can win the game,” said.
“That’s our priority always.”
Asked about Harry Kane’s fitness, he added: “He’s fine in terms of the knock he has. “He’s trained well, the whole group. We’ve got to this point with pretty much everyone available to select from which is a great position to be in.”
Although hinting that he was set to change the starting lineup, Southgate emphasised that fans were unlikely to see a repeat of England’s final group game at the 2018 World Cup when they made eight changes and lost to Belgium.
“We’re at a major tournament. It’s not about giving caps out. We’re here to try and go as far as we possibly can,” he said.
Southgate meanwhile brushed off pre-tournament comments from Welsh striker Kieffer Moore, who was widely quoted as saying he “couldn’t wait” to eliminate England from the tournament.
“He’s entitled to say whatever he wants leading into a game,” Southgate said. “I’d be amazed if he didn’t feel that way.
“But it’s pointless us focusing on what was said before the game; we’ve got to go on the pitch and play well.”
Follow updates from Ecuador vs Senegal below. Can’t see it? Click here!
