World Cup 2022 results, live scores, schedule: Australia-France fans clash at Melbourne’s Federation Square
Fights, scuffles and bottle throwing between French and Australian football fans has marred the World Cup opener which ended in brutal 4-1 defeat. LIVE
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Fights and scuffles have broken out at Federation Square in Melbourne with Australia fans taking their frustrations out on French supporters
Vision shows crowds shoving and yelling with bottles and drinks thrown after the Socceroos were brutally smashed 4-1 by the defending world champions.
Thousands of fans hauled themselves out of bed in the early hours but early jubilation soon turned sour as the thrashing began.
”Police are yet to receive any complaints but will investigate any reports made to them in relation to the event, a Victoria Police spokeswoman said.
”We urge anyone who hasn’t spoken with police to come forward.
“There is no place for violent or anti-social behaviour in the community and we support the vast majority of sporting fans celebrating this exciting time in the right spirit.”
Olivier Giroud joined Thierry Henry as France’s all-time leading goalscorer with a brace as the holders roared back to beat Australia 4-1 and get their defence of the World Cup.
Australia took a shock lead at Al Janoub Stadium in Qatar with the game just nine minutes old when Craig Goodwin scored.
France, whose build-up to the tournament was marred by injuries, saw left-back Lucas Hernandez come off hurt in the move that led to the goal.
More bottles thrown at the French supporters here at Federation Square as the margin blows out to 4-1 in France’s favour. Not the scoreline the Socceroos fans wanted to see â¦@BreakfastNewsâ© â¦@abcmelbourneâ© â¦@abcnewsâ© pic.twitter.com/ujD15uRuAa
— Stephanie Ferrier (@FerrierSteph) November 22, 2022
2:45PM ENGLAND TICKETS SELLING FOR ‘50 TIMES’ VALUE
Touts are now demanding up to 50 times the original sale price to see the Three Lions’ next Group B matches.
Reselling ticket website Ticombo claims to have 500 tickets for England’s games against USA and Wales — but there is no guarantee fans buying from touts will be allowed entry.
Supporters must show a ticket application number — given when they buy through the official FIFA website — before applying for a permit to enter Qatar.
It is unclear if fans will be able to get the code if they buy seats from online touts.
FIFA claims it received 23million applications for three million seats before the tournament, with group stage seats selling out months ago.
A Qatar 22 source said: “Seats for the next England game have become the hottest ticket in town overnight.”
12.52PM UPDATE ENGLAND SWEATS ON KANE SCANS
The Sun
Harry Kane has given England a massive injury scare after being sent for a scan on his ankle.The England skipper was in hospital on Tuesday night for a precautionary scan after suffering the knock in England’s 6-2 win over Iran on Monday.
Kane is now a major doubt for Friday’s second group stage clash against United States.
The Spurs forward was still feeling discomfort on Tuesday and boss Gareth Southgate insisted on tests in Doha.
England are still hopeful that it is not too serious as he took part in a private warm-down session.
But the loss of Kane on Friday would be a huge blow for England despite their encouraging start.
Kane has previously suffered ankle issues but there have been few problems in the last two years.
None of England’s starting XI trained in the warm-down session but Southgate insisted on Monday night he was not worried.
He said: “I think Harry’s fine. It looked a bad tackle but he carried on in the game.
“We took him off really because we felt it was a moment we could do that.
12.43PM FAN CHANTS TO BE INVESTIGATED
AFP
FIFA launched disciplinary proceedings on Tuesday over chants by Ecuador fans during their World Cup opener against hosts Qatar.
Football’s world governing body did not say what the chants were but said it came under article 13 of its disciplinary code, which includes discriminatory or abusive words.
Ecuador beat Qatar 2-0 on Sunday to launch the World Cup.
“The FIFA disciplinary committee has opened proceedings against the Ecuadoran Football Association due to chants by Ecuadoran supporters during the Qatar v. Ecuador FIFA World Cup match played on 20 November,” it said.
It is the first such disciplinary measure of the Qatar World Cup, which ends on December 18.
9:12AM STAR ‘CRITICAL’ AS HORROR INJURY MARS HISTORIC UPSET
Saudi Arabia pulled off the unthinkable against Lionel Messi and Argentina but it’s come at a huge cost with a star player reported to be ‘in a critical condition’ after a horror clash.
Yasser Al Shahrani collided with his own goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais in a sickening accident in the dying moments of his team’s jaw-dropping 2-1 win over Argentina,
Replays showed Owais’ knee make contact with Yasser’s face. He was unresponsive in the immediate aftermath of the collision.
The 30-year-old offered two thumbs up as he was carried out of the stadium.
According to reports, X-rays have shown a fractured jaw and damage to other facial bones.
Yasser also under went emergency surgery for internal bleeding.
Mohammed Bin Salman, Crown Prince of the Saudi Arabia instructed that Yasser be transferred by a private jet to Germany for treatment.
There was confusion and outrage directed at the referees after the collision when they directed play to continue
The Saudi government has declared a national holiday for Wednesday to celebrate the monumental upset win over Argentina.
8:56AM WANNA GET LAID?
Holland boss Louis van Gaal rather bizarrely asked his wife to come to his hotel room “to get laid” during a training session on Tuesday.The Dutch kicked off their World Cup campaign with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Senegal on Monday evening.
And the players were straight back to work the following day as Van Gaal, 71, prepares his squad for their game against Ecuador on Friday.
But it was the former Manchester United manager’s words at the side of the pitch which got people talking online.
As his wife Truus approached him, he could be heard saying in Dutch: “But you can come to the hotel. Just to my room. To get laid.”
Truus, 68, who has been married to the Netherlands boss since 2008, responded by jokingly pushing her husband’s arm as Van Gaal laughed off the comment.
Louis Van Gaal to his wife at training today 🗣ï¸:
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) November 22, 2022
“But you can come to the hotel. Just to my room. To get laid.†😳🤣pic.twitter.com/9IAp9sdDCZ
8:40AM MASSIVE INJURY FOR FRANCE
France coach Didier Deschamps said Lucas Hernandez’s knee injury “seemed pretty serious” after the Bayern Munich defender hobbled off in the holders’ World Cup win over Australia on Tuesday.
Deschamps’ men, bidding to become the first team to successfully defend the title since Brazil in 1962, had already seen Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante and Presnel Kimpembe ruled out before the tournament.
“He’s going to do some tests, it seems pretty serious to me,” Deschamps told French broadcaster TF1.
“We’ll have to confirm anyway. That’s the big black spot for tonight.”
7:35AM SOCCEROOS IN ALL SORTS
Saudi Arabia might be getting a national holidays for beating Argentina but there’s no chance of the same happening here in Australia.
France are demolishing the Socceroos with the score currently 4-1 to the defending champions and to be quite honest I wouldn’t be surprised if they add a few more before the final whistle.
Australia took advantage of a wobbly start from the French but it’s all gone downhill at an alarming rate.
6:40AM SAUDI PARTY LIKE THEY WON THE CUP
Saudi Arabia players were on top of the world – and tables – as they celebrated their heroic World Cup win over Argentina.
Lionel Messi’s side were stunned 2-1 at the Lusail Stadium thanks to an epic second-half turnaround.
Saudi Arabia fans were seen jubilantly cheering in the crowd as the players led the celebrations on the field.
And the good times carried over into the dressing room as the players danced on tables and threw water.
Messi had opened the lead through the penalty spot after ten minutes but soon saw three goals disallowed.
It set the scene for a colossal upset as a pair of stunners from forwards Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari saw Argentina shocked.
Roy Keane, who laughed off Saudi Arabia’s pre-World Cup chances, slammed Messi’s flops.
He said on ITV: “There is no aggression, there are bodies there but you have to go and attack the ball, there is no composure, they have lost their heads.
Originally published by The Sun
6:20AM FEARS FOR IRAN PLAYERS
Iran players have been warned they face severe repercussions if they continue to boycott their national anthem at the World Cup.
The team was silent as the music was played ahead of their clash with England on Tuesday in an apparent show of support for the protest movement that has dominated the country since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
Mehdi Chamran, the chairman of Tehran city council, said: “We will never allow anyone to insult our anthem and flag. Iranian civilisation has a history of several thousand years, this civilisation is as old as the total of European and American civilisations.”
Iran were swept aside 6-2 by England in Group B.
6:02 MESSI BRUTALLY MOCKED
Saudi Arabian fans rubbed salt into the wound of Argentina’s Lionel Messi following their historic upset.
And this one might burn just a little bit more, given Messi’s long-standing rivalry with Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo over who deserves GOAT status.
As they left Lusail Stadium on Tuesday, jubilant Saudi fans mimicked Ronaldo’s iconic ‘Siuuu’ celebration to add a little extra spice to an extraordinary upset that left Argentinian journalists in tears and has been described as a “genuine football earthquake”.
😅 SaudÃes saliendo del estadio tras ganar en el primer partido del Mundial a Argentina.
— MARCA (@marca) November 22, 2022
¿Celebración a lo Cristiano? Están que no se lo creen #Qatar2022pic.twitter.com/jJRBtAISQW
Messi said there were “no excuses” for the defeat – which ended a 36-game undefeated streak and leaves Argentina in a precarious qualifying situation, and potentially on a collision course with France in the second round.
“’There are no excuses. We are going to be more united than ever. This group is strong and they have shown it,” Messi said after the game, via the Argentinian team’s Twitter account.
“’It is a situation that we did not have to go through in a long time. Now we have to show that this is a real group.
“It’s a very hard blow for everyone, we didn’t expect to start like this. Things happen for a reason. We have to prepare for what’s coming, we have to win or win and it depends on us.
“We have to go back to the base of who we are. We have to think about what’s to come.”
The defeat truly rocked Argentina – from the players, to the fans and even the country’s passionate journalists, who were emotional in the game’s aftermath.
One journalist was reportedly brought to tears more than an hour after match, as they waited in the official media mixed zone to interview players.
“There’s an Argentine journalist in tears in the mixed zone. The game finished an hour ago. Genuine football earthquake,” wrote New York Times journalist Tariq Panja.
GOAL AUSTRALIA!
Would you believe it. Socceroos are a goal up n the defending World Champions.
Craig Goodwin smashes the ball past Hugo Lloris from a Matt Leckie cross and the Australians are in front.
5:25AM PENALTY NIGHTMARE
Robert Lewandowski suffered fresh World Cup misery as the Poland striker’s penalty was saved by Guillermo Ochoa in a 0-0 draw against Mexico on Tuesday.
Lewandowski has never scored at a World Cup and the Barcelona striker had admitted it would be a “huge dream” to finally get off the mark on the global stage.
Instead, the 34-year-old’s dream turned into a nightmare when he won a second-half penalty, only to see Ochoa deny him from the spot.
Lewandowski, Poland’s record scorer with 76 goals, has netted 18 times in 19 appearances for Barcelona, the club he joined in the close-season after bagging 344 goals in eight trophy-filled years at Bayern Munich.
Yet the World Cup has proved hellish for Lewandowski, with this latest goalless outing coming after he failed to score in Poland’s three games when they bowed out in the group stage four years ago.
5AM RONALDO SACKED
Cristiano Ronaldo’s controversial second spell at Manchester United is to end with “immediate effect”, the Premier League giants announced Tuesday.
The Portugal forward appeared to be on his way out of Old Trafford following a recent television interview in which he said he felt “betrayed” by the club and had no respect for new manager Erik ten Hag.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect,” said a United statement.
“The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford, scoring 145 goals in 346 appearances, and wishes him and his family well for the future.
“Everyone at Manchester United remains focused on continuing the team’s progress under Erik ten Hag and working together to deliver success on the pitch.” As well as criticising the Old Trafford hierarchy and ten Hag, the 37-year-old Ronaldo, currently with the Portugal squad at the World Cup, was scathing about the club’s US owners.
Ronaldo said the Glazer family cared far more about the money-making potential of United than results on the pitch.
He even turned on former team-mates Gary Neville and Wayne Rooney, saying “they are not my friends” after recent criticism from the pair.
4:57AM SHOCKER IN GROUP D
Tunisia held Denmark to a goalless draw in their World Cup opener on Tuesday, kicking off their Group D campaign with a strong performance against one of the pre-tournament dark horses.
Tunisia have never reached the World Cup knockouts in five previous attempts but Jalel Kadri’s side will be encouraged both with a point at Education City Stadium and with how they performed against the fancied Danes.
Since Kadri took charge of the team in January Tunisia have only lost to Brazil and they frustrated Denmark in front of thousands of noisy North Africans.
Christian Eriksen was largely anonymous on his return to major tournament football after nearly dying on the pitch at the European Championship last year, wilting in the face of ferocious defending.
Denmark had come into the match as favourites but Tunisia tore into their more illustrious opponents from kick-off, flying into tackles.
The massed ranks of Tunisians in the stands created a crackling atmosphere and they cheered every tackle and clearance.
After surviving a late penalty scare Tunisia celebrated a precious and unexpected point with their passionate supporters.
500-1 LIGHTNING BOLT WHICH TURNED WORLD CUP UPSIDE DOWN
Finally, the World Cup is well and truly alive — after a monumental upset turned Lionel Messi’s tournament on its head.
It’s the upset the tournament desperately needed after a disastrous build-up in which football has been secondary.
And it proved, in some way, that money doesn’t always win — something we all need reminding of at a tournament where it seems to have been the only thing that matters.
Messi is the second-highest paid footballer on the planet. For nearly two decades things have simply happened for him on the football field. The magical and the ridiculous.
But never the World Cup.
The Qatar tournament is his World Cup swan song, his final chance at the ultimate team glory which has cruelly evaded him through one of football’s greatest ever careers.
And to understand how grand his stature is in Doha, the evidence was on offer well before his side suffered an astonishing 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia at the mighty Lusail Stadium on Tuesday.
A walk through the iconic Souq Waqif reveals blue-and-white jerseys numbering the 100s with Messi No. 10 on the back — but also his name adorns half a dozen Saudi jerseys, leading to some conflicted reactions 10 minutes into Tuesday’s contest.
Messi stepped up, converting a penalty, and in doing so became the first Argentine to score in four World Cups, surpassing the feat of the legendary Diego Maradona — who netted in three campaigns.
It was truly a goal that united the entire stadium. Argentina fans roared and danced for their champion — while Saudi fans cheered their idol, even at the expense of their nation.
In live betting Saudi Arabia were paying an extraordinary 500–1 following Messi’s opener, and would go on to have three goals ruled out by VAR for off-side inside 35 minutes.
Three minutes after halftime Saleh Alshehri levelled the scores with an exquisite curling right-foot effort, as the Saudi fans awoke. Messi is great, sure, but an upset of this magnitude? That is forever, and would truly send them into delirium.
The media overflow seats are situated right in the heart of a group of fanatical Saudi supporters, who are moments away from losing their minds.
Within five minutes, they were ahead. Salem Aldawsari, from a similar angle to his teammate, hits a gorgeous curling strike which goalkeeper Damien Martinez can only fend into to the top corner of the goal.
It’s 2-1. The crowd is in raptures. Miracles can happen. And for Messi and Argentina, a dream becomes a nightmare.
The man with all the answers — and the one they all came to see — stepped up in the 80th minute with a free-kick that could level the scores. But there was no Messi magic this time, his shot sailing into a crowd of distraught Argentina fans behind the goal.
With matches to come against Poland and Mexico, Argentina are far from dead in the water, but their path has become levels more treacherous.
Saudi Arabia? They’re floating on cloud nine, and shock leaders of Group C. And, despite Gianni Infantino’s best efforts, they’ve finally made this World Cup about the football.
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Originally published as World Cup 2022 results, live scores, schedule: Australia-France fans clash at Melbourne’s Federation Square
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