World Cup: US goalkeeper Matt Turner names England ‘tournament favourites’
England face Qatar in the USA in Group B of the World Cup on Friday. The Three Lions won their opener in style against Iran, securing a 6-2 victory with Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish all on the scoresheet for Gareth Southgate’s side.
Harry Kane has recovered from an injury scare and is fit to play after undergoing a scan on his ankle this week, while Harry Maguire has also been declared fit to start after illness . Southgate is therefore expected to name an unchanged team.
England will be looking to end an unwanted record and get their first win over the USA at a World Cup. The United States defeated England in the 1950 World Cup, before Rob Green’s error led to a 1-1 draw in South Africa in 2010.
The match will kick off at 22:00 local time (19:00 GMT) and will be broadcast live on ITV. For the US, it’s 2pm ET/11pm PT and airs on Fox and Telemundo.
Follow all the latest England World Cup news ahead of the match against the USA below.
World Cup 2022: England vs USA
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World Cup 2022: England vs USA
Gareth Southgate has not ruled out his England team making a gesture to highlight human rights concerns at the World Cup in Qatar, but says they will not be pressured to do so.
Seven European nations competing in the World Cup, including Germany, England and Wales, planned to wear OneLove anti-discrimination armbands during the tournament, but were dissuaded from doing so following the threat of sporting sanctions from the FIFA.
Southgate, whose side face the United States in their second game on Friday, said: “I don’t think we should feel any pressure – I think we’ve talked about these particular issues for over a year and supported in every way. of good causes, either individually or collectively”.
Kieran Jackson November 25, 2022 3:30 pm
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World Cup 2022: England vs USA
When England started playing against Iran, they felt something different.
“Definitely a click,” John Stones said of the 6-2 win. “Or a desire to put things right. We had come out of a bad period.”
Now they can look the other way. England scored more goals against Iran than in the entire Nations League campaign. The reality, however, was that it was a step up from Gareth Southgate’s general style rather than the last eight months.
“I guess people wouldn’t expect us to be like this, having watched us for a couple of years and the style of football we play,” acknowledged the coach. “We may have regressed to the norm.”
The challenge now is to make it the norm and illustrate that it was not in part a product of the mess Iran is in; that England have announced their credentials.
Senior Football Writer Miguel Delaney previews the big game from Doha:
Kieran Jackson November 25, 2022 3:15 pm
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World Cup 2022: England vs USA
As England teenage football hero Jude Bellingham returns to the pitch in Qatar on Friday, friends and neighbors in his West Midlands hometown of Stourbridge are brimming with pride.
And none other than his former elementary school janitor, who when he was a child brought down the player’s stray ball from the roof.
“It seemed to be a daily occurrence,” says Mark Williams in The Independent. “You could tell he was a good little footballer and he was destined to be one.”
“He seemed to do it more than any other kid. It became a running joke. Every day it was the stairs. I kept them on standby for that reason.”
He adds: “He was a very nice guy. He always asked you to get the ball down well.”
This made the midfielder only the second teenager, after Michael Owen, to score for the Three Lions at a World Cup.
Jude Bellingham’s hometown, proud of the boy who practiced so hard he wore out the grass:
Kieran Jackson November 25, 2022 2:58 p.m
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World Cup 2022: Who is the England vs USA official Jesus Valenzuela?
Jesús Valenzuela is the referee for tonight’s World Cup match between England and the USA.
The Venezuelan takes charge of his first match at the World Cup after being selected as one of the 36 referees at the tournament in Qatar.
The 39-year-old is regarded as one of South America’s top referees, taking charge of South America’s Copa America, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana and World Cup qualifiers.
Professional referee in the top division of Venezuela, where he took charge of nine games before the league stopped for the World Cup.
In those games, however, Valenzuela showed red cards in seven of them, as well as a number of yellow cards.
Kieran Jackson November 25, 2022 2:39 p.m
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World Cup 2022: What time does England vs USA kick off today?
The opponents this time are the United States, who drew with Wales, although Gregg Berhalter’s side will no doubt begrudge the fact that they were so dominant in that game early on and couldn’t make it their superiority was worth enough to take the three points.
The U.S. know that while a loss would make things difficult, they still have Iran to face in their final match, seemingly the weakest of the quartet, with four points potentially enough to overcome based on the results of others places.
Bukayo Saka’s brilliant performance in the Three Lions’ opener surely means he will keep his place, with perhaps only injuries likely to see Gareth Southgate change his line-up.
The Group B match kicks off at 7pm on Friday 25 November at the Al-Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.
Kieran Jackson November 25, 2022 2:22 p.m
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World Cup 2022: England vs USA
England will qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup if they beat the United States on Friday.
Here’s a closer look at the side standing in the way of Gareth Southgate’s men.
Jamie Braidwood November 25, 2022 1:16 p.m
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World Cup 2022: England vs USA
England will qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup if they beat the United States on Friday.
Ahead of the Group B clash in Al Khor, here are five of the main talking points.
Jamie Braidwood November 25, 2022 1:01 p.m
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World Cup 2022: England vs USA
Iranian soccer players sang their national anthem before facing Wales at the World Cup on Friday, after refusing to sing the anthem in their opening match against England earlier this week week
Iran’s fans booed and jeered the anthem, but unlike England, the team’s players did not sit quietly and sing the words of the anthem.
As the players sang the national anthem ahead of their match against Wales, television coverage of the match showed images of exhausted Iran fans in the crowd at Qatar’s Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.
Jamie Braidwood November 25, 2022 12:44 p.m
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“Don’t Take Me Home” became a Welsh anthem in 2016, but the danger is that they will soon book their flights. The latest final drama dealt a fatal blow to their hopes of extending their stay in Qatar, goals in the 98th and 101st minutes saw Iran earn a deserved victory, but thanks to a combination of rights, the most marginal of offsides and some inspired goalkeepers, looked like they had to deny them.
However, Wayne Hennessey’s day will not be remembered for his saves from Sardar Azmoun and Saeid Ezatolahi, crucial as they seemed at the time.
Wales v Iran report by Richard Jolly
Jamie Braidwood November 25, 2022 12:32 pm
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World Cup 2022: England vs USA
Harry Maguire is away with England at a fascinating time for Manchester United, with the Glazer family announcing on Tuesday they were ready to sell just hours after Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract was mutually terminated.
The skipper says he has found it easy to focus on national team matters, even though “there’s a lot of talk about the club”, and interestingly used his now ex-teammate as an example to deal with the backlash .
“Of course as a footballer nobody likes to be criticized but I think it’s part of the game,” said Maguire, who is feeling good after being substituted against Iran because he was unwell.
“I have played with Cristiano Ronaldo for the last two years and he is one of the best players to ever play football and he is criticized day in and day out.
“So if it’s going to happen to him and the position I’m in, I think it’s part of the game, especially the position I’m playing at Manchester United and the captain of Manchester United.
“With Cristiano playing and me around him for the last two years, he’s the best player, for me, to hit football and he’s criticized on a daily basis, so it’s going to happen to each and every one of us.
“So it’s part of the game. It’s something you have to train for, do your best and that’s what I always tell myself. Just go in and do your best and that’s all you can do. “
(son PA)
Jamie Braidwood November 25, 2022 12:31 pm