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TAMPA, Florida, June 19 : Young gun Sidny Lopes Cabral is happy for Cape Verde to be cast as underdogs again in their second World Cup match against Uruguay at the weekend but thinks many in the football world have underestimated the quality in the team.

Cabral started at left back as the Blue Sharks stunned the footballing world by holding former world champions Spain goalless on their World Cup debut in Atlanta on Monday.

The confident 23-year-old, who was recently sold by Benfica to Trabzonspor, was quick to refute the idea that the result might give Cape Verde a glimmer of hope of passage to the knockout stage.   

“Not hope,” he told reporters at Cape Verde’s training camp on Friday. 

“Before we came here, we had the goal. The goal is to go through the group phase. So this game gave us more power, more trust in ourselves.

“We know our qualities and we know what we do.”

Asked if people had underestimated Cape Verde, Cabral wasted few words: “Yes, 100 per cent.” 

Cabral played only a handful of games for Benfica this year after his move to the Portuguese side last December, but two of them were against Real Madrid in the Champions League. 

The Dutch-born defender will reacquaint himself with Real playmaker Federico Valverde when Cape Verde take on Uruguay in Miami on Sunday and Cabral is perfectly content that he will again be expected to lose. 

“For me personally, I like to be the underdog because then I can show up more,” he said. 

“I know I think like the players that we have in our squad, they don’t play in the Premier League or something. 

“So we are all well prepared that people may think less of us.”

Midfielder Telmo Arcanjo, who has just turned 24, played considerably more games in Portugal’s top flight for his club Vitoria this year and was slightly less bullish than Cabral when assessing the impact of the Spain draw.

“It was a historic moment because it was the first time we’d played in the World Cup, and our very first match was against Spain, a team that is a strong contender,” he said. 

“We hope to keep going like this.”

Valverde is not the only top-class player in the Uruguay team and Portugal-born Arcanjo is expecting a tough tussle at Miami Stadium. 

“It’s going to be a very intense match, with lots of duels,” he said. “It will be a good game for us, a good test, and I hope it goes our way.”

FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts: Morocco outmuscled Scotland for a 1-0 win thanks to the tournament’s fastest goal on Friday (Jun 19), briefly occupying the top spot in Group C at the World Cup with one match left to play.

The North Africans, surprise semi-finalists four years ago, were in control throughout despite the deceptive scoreline, bullying the Scots into submission and scoring the winner with Ismael Saibari after 71 seconds of play.

Morocco, who did not translate their dominance into more goals, now have four points from their two matches and will next play Haiti on Wednesday. Scotland, with three points from two games, face five-time champions Brazil on the last matchday.

Brazil beat Haiti 3-0 in Group C’s other fixture on Friday to replace the Atlas Lions at the top of the group.

“We would have liked to score that second goal to be more at ease, but we wanted to keep them really, really high up so they wouldn’t get too close to our box,” said Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi.

“When it’s 1-0 at the end, that’s the Scots’ quality. But it’s okay. That’s what I said too: no panic, no panic, we do what needs to be done, we defend, we keep pressing. But we played a great match. We lacked a bit of efficiency.”

“We are happy, we keep going. The road is still long, but it was important to win today,” he added.

Morocco completed a total of 601 passes against Scotland, the most by an African team in a World Cup match on record since 1966.

EARLY GOAL

The Scots were brimming with confidence after their 1-0 opening win over Haiti for their first World Cup victory in 36 years but were quickly brought down to earth.

Their opponents needed less than two minutes to open their account with Saibari slipping in behind the defence to latch on to a Brahim Diaz through ball as defender Grant Hanley stepped out too early, and he powered in his shot for the earliest goal in this World Cup.

Saibari, who scored in their 1-1 draw against Brazil last week and has reportedly passed a medical to join German champions Bayern Munich, became only the second African player to score in his first two appearances at the World Cup, after Egypt’s Mohamed Salah.

The Moroccans, who saw captain Achraf Hakimi booed by Scottish fans with the player facing a rape trial, came close again when Azzedine Ounahi charged down the left and cut the ball back, but a pair of Moroccan players narrowly failed to connect in front of goal.

Ounahi had raised eyebrows a day earlier, saying his team were aiming to reach the final, but they showed they mean business as the Scots failed to get a single shot towards goal until deep in first-half stoppage time.

Instead they had to play constant catch-up with Moroccans pressing, winning possession and breaking through seemingly at will, with Bilal El Khannouss firing over the bar after yet another superb move.

It was one-way traffic after the break with Saibari hitting the post and El Khannouss forcing a good save by goalkeeper Angus Gunn with a glancing header. 

Scotland tried to pile on the pressure late in the game but, despite some late chances, could not find an equaliser.

“Had we played another five minutes, we might just have had them,” said Scotland midfielder Ryan Christie.

“It’s frustrating. The start to the game wasn’t exactly how we planned it. But we limited them to very little second half and started to play our football. It just wasn’t to be,” he said.

TORONTO, June 19 : Germany are expecting a challenging foot race in their next World Cup match against a speedy Ivory Coast side, coach Julian Nagelsmann said on Friday. 

Germany steamrolled past tournament debutants Curacao with a 7-1 victory in their opening match last week while Ivory Coast nabbed a late winner to secure a 1-0 win over Ecuador.

Nagelsmann said the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations ​winners will present some problems for his side when they meet in a Group E clash on Saturday. 

“They have great defence. They have, on all three front positions, a lot of speed,” Nagelsmann told reporters via a translator in Toronto. “During the last game with (Ivory Coast forward Nicolas) Pépé, he was really not reachable. He was everywhere.”

Nagelsmann said the West Africans’ strength in the middle of the pitch is also a threat but he and his players have been working to find solutions.

“We took some measures and prepared accordingly so we can take away as much strength as possible,” said Nagelsmann. “We will not always be successful because they are just too good, but we will play our own match.”  

Nagelsmann also defended forward Leroy Sane following criticism of the 30-year-old’s performance against Curacao. The Galatasaray winger was not on the scoresheet in the rout despite playing the full 90 minutes. 

“It bothers me because I don’t like it when (reporters) write something like this about my players,” Nagelsmann said. 

“But I think he has to convince you to write better about him,” he added. “I don’t think it changes his self-confidence. It helps when he has a good match, and then tomorrow he will have a good match as well.” 

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, June 19 : Ecuador coach Sebastian Beccacece sought on Friday to distance his team from Germany’s 7-1 demolition of Curacao, urging focus and respect ahead of a must-win World Cup clash against the Caribbean side.

Ecuador, beaten 1-0 by Ivory Coast in their opener despite long spells of dominance, saw their 19-match unbeaten run end and are now under pressure to take points before facing Group E rivals Germany.

“First, we’re not Germany. Second, as we’ve done over these years, we always have respect for the opponent,” Beccacece told reporters. “Matches are played on the pitch.”

He said his squad were fully fit and clear about their task, and warned them to stay alert despite Curacao’s – the smallest nation ever to reach the tournament – heavy defeat in their debut.

“We have to go with an idea that is already established, to know in which moments we have to take control, look for spaces that allow us more time to make decisions,” the 45-year-old Argentine coach said.

“We have to be very alert to avoid certain transitions and stay very attentive.”

Midfielder Alan Franco said Ecuador had moved on from their opening defeat and were mentally strong ahead of their last two group-stage matches.

He added that while the South American side had analysed Curacao, they would prioritise their own game.

“We study our opponents, we know what Curacao are and what they can do, but the focus is on what we can do and what we can improve,” the 27-year-old player said. “Beyond what Curacao bring, the focus is on us.”

Ecuador and Curacao meet on Saturday in Kansas City, while Germany take on Ivory Coast earlier in the day in Toronto.

June 19 : The Qatar Football Association sent a message of support to Canada midfielder Ismael Kone after he was injured during the teams’ World Cup match on Thursday.

Qatar suffered a heavy 6-0 defeat to Canada in their Group B clash, which saw Kone sustain a broken leg following a clumsy second-half tackle from Qatar’s Assim Madibo. Kone has since undergone surgery.

The Qatar Football Association posted a photo on its social media accounts showing Kone waving to fans as he was carried off on a stretcher, along with a message wishing him a speedy recovery.

Qatar will conclude its Group B campaign at the World Cup against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 24.

FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts, June 19 : Scotland manager Steve Clarke backed his players to recover quickly from their 1-0 defeat by Morocco at the World Cup on Friday and approach their final Group C match against five-times champions Brazil with confidence.

Scotland have three points from two games after beating Haiti 1-0 in their World Cup opener – their first World Cup victory in 36 years – before losing to Morocco in Massachusetts.

They face Brazil on the final matchday, with the top two teams in each group qualifying automatically for the round of 32, along with the eight best third-placed sides.

“First of all, you have to let the players suffer a little bit over the next 48 hours, because that’s what they’ll do. They don’t like losing against anybody,” Clarke told reporters.

“So we’ll rest, recover and be ready to go again. The games don’t get much easier.”

Morocco seized control early, scoring the fastest goal at this year’s tournament when Ismael Saibari struck after 71 seconds.

The North Africans, surprise semi-finalists four years ago, dominated the match despite the narrow scoreline.

“I thought we picked ourselves up in the first half, to be fair,” Clarke said.

“Maybe it took us 10 minutes to get into the game, because obviously you’ve got a setback like that. It’s really difficult to respond. Weaker teams would have crumbled, I think, against that quality of opposition, but we dug in.

“We got ourselves back in the game. We started moving the ball about a little bit better, and I thought the second period of the first half, after the hydration break, we were good. We had good momentum going into halftime, and we carried that into the second half, and we had a right go.

“Proud of the players, but obviously we’re all devastated and disappointed that we didn’t get the result that we wanted, so that we can carry on in this tournament as long as we can.”

Scotland had two penalty appeals in the second half, with midfielders John McGinn and Scott McTominay going down in separate incidents, but Clarke had only seen one of them clearly.

“McGinn one is the 50-50. Some will give it, and I think if the referee gives it to VAR, it doesn’t overturn it. So, I can only speak on that one…,” he said.

“But listen, there’s nothing we can do about that.”

FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts, June 19 : Morocco have one foot in the World Cup’s knockout stages and are once again earning plaudits for their fluid football, but they are not yet turning all that style into a flurry of goals at this year’s tournament.

The North Africans, who were the surprise success story of the last World Cup, beat Scotland 1-0 on Friday having drawn 1-1 with Brazil six days earlier, giving them four points ahead of their final Group C game against Haiti.

But those two goals represent only a modest return for their 26 shots over the two games, something that coach Mohamed Ouahbi will probably have to remedy if he wants to make good on his stated ambition of taking the 2022 semi-finalists all the way to this year’s final.

Morocco have a natural scorer leading their attack in Ismael Saibari, who lashed home from an angle after 71 seconds against Scotland – the quickest strike of this year’s World Cup.

Against Brazil, Saibari kept his cool to put Morocco ahead in a game their supporters felt they should have won. 

Brahim Diaz constantly teased the Scottish defence in the first half and it was his defence-splitting pass that set up Saibari’s goal.

And the 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi, playing only his second competitive international match, looked like the calmest player on the pitch as he dominated the centre of midfield and fired off one first-touch pass after another.

Bouaddi’s accuracy helped Morocco complete 601 passes, the most by an African team in a World Cup match since records began in 1966.

But despite their superior technique and their harrying of Scotland for much of the match – and a Saibari effort that was deflected on to the bar – Morocco only had two efforts on target including their lightning-fast goal.

Coach Ouahbi – who took charge of the team in March after his predecessor Walid Regragui was criticised by fans for his style of football – sought to focus on his team’s defensive work as the clock ticked down and Scotland upped their intensity.

“Of course, we would have liked to score that second goal to be more at ease, but we wanted to keep them really, really high up so they wouldn’t get too close to our box,” he said.

“We lacked a bit of efficiency, but … Ismael Saibari has two goals. He’s keeping it up. I hope there are others who will score too.”

For Scotland, the narrow defeat is unlikely to prove deeply damaging to their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage of a major tournament for the first time.

Having beaten Haiti 1-0 and losing by only one goal to Morocco, Scotland could qualify for the competition’s new round of 32 – part of the enlarged format of this year’s tournament – if they finish third in their group.

Their last Group C game is against Brazil.

FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts, June 19 : Morocco’s performance in their 1-0 World Cup victory over Scotland on Friday was better than the North Africans’ impressive showing in their draw with Brazil last week, according to coach Mohamed Ouahbi.

His prognosis came as Ismael Saibari scored the quickest goal of the 2026 tournament so far after 71 seconds to give Morocco a perfect start before they held off a late Scotland surge for a deserved 1-0 win to reach four points in Group C.

“We controlled the whole game and, in terms of efficiency, I saw it as actually better than the first game,” said Ouahbi, whose side caught the eye in their opening 1-1 draw versus Brazil in New York/New Jersey last weekend.

“I see it as progress compared to the first game. So in the end, we are happy with the result; we wanted three points, and we got them. That was the main objective.”

“I believe we controlled the game, but when you don’t score a second goal, obviously, we have to defend because Scotland had a very intense approach with very long balls. But I couldn’t be happier with the performance.”

However, the clash was played against a backdrop of jeers for Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi, hours after a French appeals court confirmed that he will stand trial in a rape case.

The 27-year-old Hakimi, who plays his club football for European champions Paris St Germain, denies the allegation.

Ouahbi sought to deflect questions about what impact the case might have on Hakimi and the rest of the squad.

“Hakimi was extraordinary. He had a very strong game, so we’re very relaxed, and he’s especially relaxed,” the coach said.

Morocco’s place in the next round is not mathematically certain, so Ouahbi said he would resist any temptation to rest players for their last group game against Haiti in Atlanta on Wednesday.

“The objective will be to win the game and hopefully be number one in the group. So I’m going to field the best team possible, based on how physically ready the players are,” he added.

SANTA CLARA, California, June 19 : Turkey brought in Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz to their starting lineup on Friday for their World Cup Group D match against Paraguay, who introduced Isidro Pitta into their attack.   

• Real Madrid’s Arda Guler and Fenerbahce’s Kerem Akturkoglu retain their places in the Turkey team.

• Turkey coach Vincenzo Montella gives Yildiz a start for the first time at this World Cup after he came on as a substitute during the 2-0 defeat by Australia.

• Paraguay make two changes to the team that lost 4-1 to the United States, with Pitta leading the attack alongside Julio Enciso and Matias Galarza brought into the midfield.

• Paraguay’s English Premier League pairing Diego Gomez and Omar Alderete keep their places in the team.

• Co-hosts the United States beat Australia 2-0 in their earlier Group D match in Seattle on Friday to book their spot in the next round.

Lineups:

Turkey: Ugurcan Cakir, Merih Demiral, Kerem Akturkoglu, Arda Guler, Hakan Calhanoglu, Kenan Yildiz,  Abdulkerim Bardakci, Ismail Yuksek, Mert Muldur, Yunus Akgun, Ferdi Kadioglu

Paraguay: Orlando Gill, Omar Alderete, Juan Jose Caceres, Junior Alonso, Diego Gomez, Miguel Almiron, Andres Cubas, Gustavo Gomez, Julio Enciso, Matias Galarza, Isidro Pitta

PHILADELPHIA: Brazil forward Matheus Cunha rewarded manager Carlo Ancelotti’s backing with his first two goals at a World Cup as the five-time champions cruised to a 3-0 victory over Haiti on Friday (Jun 19) to eliminate their opponents.

Vinicius Junior also scored in the first half and was the creator for both of Cunha’s strikes before an apparent leg injury forced winger Raphinha off in the 40th minute.

Overall, it was a much-improved effort from the Selecao’s 1-1 draw against Morocco to open their tournament and a result that puts Brazil on four points and above the Atlas Lions at the top of Group C on goal difference.

Haiti became the first team eliminated from the World Cup after Morocco’s 1-0 win over Scotland, who have three points, earlier on Friday. Haiti are bottom with no points.

Even so, they clearly enjoyed their second appearance at the finals and first since 1974 and, despite a line-up that suggested a low block, showed admirable endeavour in front of a vocal red-and-blue-clad minority.

Centre-back Ricardo Ade came closest to scoring for the Caribbean side after half-time when his flashing, near-post header from a corner forced Alisson into a reaction save.

Cunha was one of two changes by Ancelotti, slotted in for Igor Thiago at centre-forward. With the Manchester United man involved, the Brazilian attack looked much more connected than six days prior, albeit against a lesser opponent.

Eventually, they punished the enthusiastic Haitians after a bright first 15 minutes from the underdogs.

For Brazil’s first goal after 23 minutes, Vinicius cut inside from the left and snapped a shot that keeper Johny Placide could only parry. 

Centre-back Hannes Delcroix attempted to clear the danger, but Cunha pressured and ultimately forced the ball across the line for his second goal in a competitive international fixture.

That connection again surfaced in the 36th after a counterattack stemming from a Haitian turnover.

Vinicius slipped a ball into the path of Cunha’s well-timed diagonal run and, while he appeared to stumble, the forward still struck a strong finish into the top corner as Placide leaned in the wrong direction.

It was not clear what led to Raphihna dropping to his haunches moments after the second goal, on a night where he had one apparent early goal ruled offside and another glaring miss after a move which also brought a raised flag.

Vinicius’ strike came in stoppage time before the break when he ran onto Lucas Paqueta’s ball over the top and finished low past the charging Placide.