Underdogs

Tunisia's Aïssa Laïdouni is my new favorite player

You'll hear the sentiment over and over again during tournament coverage: There are no mysteries at the World Cup anymore — modernity and globalization have combined to eliminate the past thrill of the complete unknown showing up on our TV screens and taking over.

Messi and Argentina choke on their own hype in Saudi Arabia's historic upset

Argentina, ranked third in the FIFA Rankings and a trendy pick to win the World Cup, has suffered one of the greatest upsets in tournament history after Saudi Arabia, ranked 51st and expected to finish fourth in Group C, went toe-to-toe with the South American giant and prevailed 2-1. 

The match had presented Argentina with a chance at equaling Italy's international record of 37 games unbeaten, but that streak is over and more importantly, La Albiceleste are in serious trouble with Mexico (Nov. 26) and Poland (Nov. 30) up next.   

Enner "Superman" Valencia adds to his cult status with game-winning double for Ecuador

AL KHOR, Qatar - Captain Enner Valencia extended his cult status in Ecuador to wider international acclaim with a first-half double that propelled the South Americans to a comfortable 2-0 win over hosts Qatar in the opening game of the World Cup on Sunday.

The 33-year-old forward, nicknamed Superman, increased his record tally of goals for Ecuador to 37 and became the country’s highest scoring player at World Cup tournaments as his double at the Al Bayt Stadium added to the three he scored in 2014.

3 things we learned from Qatar vs. Ecuador: The host nation is a bad joke

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is underway with Ecuador handling the supremely limited host nation Qatar 2-0 without surrendering a shot on target. It was a pathetic display from Qatar, but their tournament will thankfully be over quickly Friday after Senegal once again hands them a deserved beating. 

So what did we learn from Sunday's curtain raiser besides the fact that Morgan Freeman has added a couple million to his bank account?

Looking for a high-stakes opener? It doesn't get any better than USA vs. Wales

DOHA - The United States and Wales will head into Monday's World Cup clash knowing that victory could decide one of Group B's two qualifiers, with England fancied as heavy favorites to advance as group winners.

With a golden generation of talent spearheaded by Gareth Bale and playing at their first World Cup in 64 years, Wales will be out to echo their recent successes at European level, having reached the Euro 2016 semifinals and the last 16 at Euro 2020.

Belgium suffers 2-1 defeat to Egypt in final warm-up game before the World Cup

KUWAIT CITY — Belgium were beaten 2-1 by Egypt in a friendly international on Friday in a sobering defeat that belied their status as one of the fancied teams for the World Cup in Qatar.

An error by Kevin De Bruyne and an inspired pass from Mohamed Salah ensured goals for Egypt, who narrowly missed out on World Cup qualification in March, as they posted victory in a stop-start affair in Kuwait City.

Mostafa Mohamed scored in the 33rd minute with a rasping short ball after De Bruyne had lost possession just outside his own penalty area to give Egypt a halftime lead.

Can an African team win the World Cup?

Many football lovers hope an African team will finally win the men’s 2022 FIFA World Cup. The world has been waiting for this since the great Brazilian player Pelé predicted (in the 1970s) that an African country would win before the year 2000. That didn’t happen, but it didn’t stop Patrice Motsepe, president of the Confederation of African Football, from saying (in 2021): "An African team must win the World Cup in the near future."

Team-by-team guide: 2022 Ghana World Cup preview

To prepare you for the tournament, The18 has launched team-by-team previews for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Here’s the Ghana World Cup preview — they’ll play in Group H against Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay.

Ghana World Cup 2022 Preview

World Cup appearances: 4th 

Best finish: Quarterfinals (2010) 

Team-by-team guide: 2022 Switzerland World Cup preview

To prepare you for the tournament, The18 has launched team-by-team previews for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. This is the preview for Group G's Switzerland.

Switzerland World Cup 2022 Preview

World Cup appearances: 12th  

Best finish: Quarterfinals (1934, 1938, 1954) 

Today we learned Tyler Adams marking Harry Kane on corner kicks is a HORRIBLE idea

Leeds United had a horrific collapse vs. Spurs on Saturday with a 4-3 loss at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after leading 3-2 as late as the 80th minute. For Tottenham’s first goal U.S. fans discovered what would happen if Tyler Adams marked Harry Kane during a corner kick.

Tyler Adams Harry Kane Corner Kick

With Leeds leading 1-0, Tottenham scored a controversial equalizer through Kane in the 25th minute. Clément Lenglet appeared to foul Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier when the cross was delivered.

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