FIFA World Cup 2026: President Lula lauds Ancelotti for sticking with…

Brasilia [Brazil], July 1 (ANI): Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva praised Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti for retaining midfielder Casemiro during Brazil’s FIFA World Cup Round of 32 clash against Japan, admitting that he too had initially wanted the veteran substituted before the midfielder scored the decisive goal.

In a video shared by Metropoles on its X handle, Lula said many people watching the match with him had called for Casemiro to be taken off, and he had agreed with them before the midfielder proved everyone wrong.

“Yesterday I was watching Brazil vs. Japan, and everyone who was with me was saying to take Casemiro out. I was in that boat too. But then I learned that it’s very easy to give advice. Now I want to thank Ancelotti for not taking Casemiro out, because he came back and scored the goal," the Brazilian President said. sportbet.reviews

Gabriel Martinelli scored a dramatic 95th-minute winner as Brazil mounted a thrilling second-half comeback to defeat Japan 2-1, securing a hard-fought ticket to the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 in front of a packed stadium on Monday (local time).

Japan stunned the five-time world champions in the first half when Kaishu Sano intercepted a loose ball deep inside his own half. Sano embarked on a brilliant 40-yard solo sprint before drilling a fierce strike past Alisson to make it 1-0.

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After a frustrating first half where Japan’s Zion Suzuki remained largely untroubled, Brazil intensified the pressure. Gabriel Magalhaes curled a precise cross toward the back post, allowing veteran midfielder Casemiro to rise highest and power a header home, levelling the game at 1-1.

With the match looking destined for extra time, Danilo won the ball back deep in transition, finding Endrick. The youngster smartly laid it off for Bruno Guimaraes, who slid a perfect pass to an unmarked Gabriel Martinelli inside the box. Martinelli took a composed touch and slotted it into the far corner, squeezing it past a desperate Suzuki to seal the 2-1 victory.

Brazil advances to the Round of 16, where they will face either Ivory Coast or Norway on July 5 at the New York-New Jersey Stadium.

While this Round of 32 clash in the expanded 2026 format produced an instant classic, matchups between these two nations on football’s grandest stage are exceedingly rare.

Before this 2026 encounter, Brazil and Japan had faced each other only once in FIFA World Cup history: Germany 2006. Much like the 2026 match, Japan actually took a surprise lead via Keiji Tamada in the 34th minute.

However, a star-studded Selecão stormed back with a brace from Ronaldo, alongside goals from Juninho Pernambucano and Gilberto to secure a comfortable 4-1 victory.

History heavily favours Brazil in this matchup. Across 15 meetings, the Selecao have won 12, with 2 draws and just a single loss. But that one defeat looms large. Months before this tournament, Japan pulled off a stunning 3-2 friendly win in Tokyo — their first ever against the South Americans. (ANI)

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New York [US], July 1 (ANI): France captain Kylian Mbappe led a strong show of unity and support for head coach Didier Deschamps as the national team secured a 1-0 victory over Sweden in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 clash on Tuesday, according to USA Today.

Following a challenging personal period for Deschamps, who recently returned to the touchline after the death of his mother, the French squad rallied around their coach in an emotional display during the Round of 32 clash.

Mbappe, who scored the opening goal just before halftime, did not celebrate in his usual style. Instead, he immediately ran toward the French dugout, where he was joined by teammates in embracing Deschamps in a gesture of solidarity.

“There are things that are more important than a World Cup, more important than you," Mbappe told reporters, as quoted by USA Today.

“But as I said, it’s in this group’s DNA to stick together, to really be united. We’re all behind the coach, no matter what happens, no matter what’s going to happen. We’re all behind him, and we wanted him to know he wasn’t alone," he added.

Defender Malo Gusto also praised the collective gesture, saying the squad wanted to return the support Deschamps has always shown them and ensure he did not feel alone during a tough period.

“I think that was important," France defender Malo Gusto said in the mixed zone following the game on the moment the team had with Deschamps, as quoted by USA Today.

“I think Kylian did that to support (our) coach, too. It was a tough time for him. It was up to us to return the favour. I think we did really well tonight," he added.

France produced an assured display on Deschamps’ return, with Mbappe scoring twice to help Les Bleus advance to the Round of 16, where they will face Paraguay. (ANI)

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FIFA વર્લ્ડ કપ 2026નો ઉત્સાહ હાલમાં ચાહકોમાં ચરમસીમાએ છે.હાલમાં રાઉન્ડ ઓફ 32 મેચ ચાલી રહી છે.આ રાઉન્ડમાં ફ્રાન્સનો સામનો સ્વીડન સામે થયો હતો,જેમાં તેણે 3-0ના માર્જિનથી મેચ જીતીને રાઉન્ડ ઓફ 16માં પોતાનું સ્થાન સુરક્ષિત કર્યું હતું.સ્વીડન સામેની મેચમાં બધાની નજર ફ્રાન્સના સ્ટાર ખેલાડી કાયલિયન મ્બાપ્પે પર હતી,અને તેનો જાદુ સ્પષ્ટ દેખાઈ રહ્યો હતો,તેણે મેચમાં બે ગોલ કરીને તેની ટીમને આગામી રાઉન્ડમાં આગળ વધવામાં મુખ્ય ભૂમિકા ભજવી હતી.

ફ્રાન્સે પહેલા હાફથી જ આક્રમક રમત દર્શાવી

સ્વીડન સામેની મેચમાં, ફ્રાન્સે પહેલા હાફથી જ આક્રમક રમત દર્શાવી, પ્રથમ 45 મિનિટમાં ગોલ કરવાના ઘણા પ્રયાસો કર્યા, જેમાં મ્બાપ્પેનો એક ગોલ ઓફસાઇડને કારણે રદ કરવામાં આવ્યો. આ પછી, ફ્રાન્સે વધારાના સમયમાં ગોલ કરીને ફ્રાન્સને 1-0ની લીડ અપાવી. બીજા હાફની શરૂઆત સાથે, ફ્રાન્સના બ્રેડલી બાર્કોલાએ 53મી મિનિટમાં ગોલ કરીને તેની ટીમને 2-0ની લીડ અપાવી. ત્યારથી, ફ્રાન્સની મેચ પર પકડ મજબૂત થઈ ગઈ, અને 74મી મિનિટે કાયલિયન એમબાપ્પેએ મેચના બીજા ગોલ સાથે પોતાનો વિજય નિશ્ચિત કરી દીધો. ફ્રાન્સે મેચ 3-0થી જીતી લીધી. આ મેચમાં એમબાપ્પેના બે ગોલ સાથે, તે હવે ફિફા વર્લ્ડ કપના ઇતિહાસમાં સર્વકાલીન ટોચના ગોલ કરનાર ખેલાડીઓની યાદીમાં લિયોનેલ મેસ્સી પછી બીજા ક્રમે છે, કુલ 18 ગોલ સાથે.

https://x.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/2072091308492210542?s=20

ફ્રાન્સ રાઉન્ડ ઓફ 16માં પેરાગ્વેનો સામનો કરશે

ગ્રૂપ સ્ટેજથી રાઉન્ડ ઓફ 32 સુધી તેમના પ્રભાવશાળી પ્રદર્શનને ચાલુ રાખતા, ફ્રાન્સ હવે રાઉન્ડ ઓફ 16માં પેરાગ્વેનો સામનો કરશે. બંને ટીમો વચ્ચેનો આ મુકાબલો 5 જુલાઈના રોજ ભારતીય સમય મુજબ સવારે 2:30 વાગ્યે રમાશે. ફ્રાન્સના ગ્રુપ સ્ટેજની વાત કરીએ તો, તેઓએ સેનેગલ, નોર્વે અને ઇરાક સામેની તેમની બધી મેચ જીતી હતી.

આ પણ વાંચો - FIFA World Cup 2026માંથી બહાર થયા બાદ જર્મનીના સ્ટાર ખેલાડીએ લીધી નિવૃત્તિ