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Scotland conceded after just 70 seconds as they slipped to defeat against a polished Morocco side However, their hopes of reaching the World Cup knockout stages for the first time remain in their own hands Author | Sean M Stadium | Boston Stadium Head coach Steve Clarke had called for the "footballing Gods to be smiling down on us", knowing that a point would have all but secured progression, but the Scots made the worst possible start. Slack defending allowed Ismael Saibari to fire the Africa Cup of Nations champions, ranked sixth in the world, into a stunning lead inside the opening two minutes. Watch | Another spine-tingling rendition of the Scottish national anthem Clarke reshuffled his side following Saturday's win over Haiti, with Celtic defender Kieran Tierney deployed on the left of midfield in an apparent attempt to keep Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi quiet. That plan quickly unravelled when centre-backs Grant Hanley and Jack Hendry allowed Saibari to burst in beh...

The United States are guaranteed to finish top of their World Cup group They beat Australia with a dominant, high-tempo display in front of a boisterous sell-out crowd in Seattle. Author | Ajay Stadium | Seattle Stadium The US secured a place in the last 32 with back-to-back World Cup victories for the first time since 1930, and were later confirmed as group winners after Turkey lost to Paraguay. The tournament co-hosts were without talisman Christian Pulisic because of a calf injury, but they subjected Australia to relentless pressure in the first half, which brought two goals. Closer analysis of what happened Australia defender Cameron Burgess inadvertently turned the ball into his own net in the 11th minute after US striker Folarin Balogun raced to the byline and squared across the face of goal. Mauricio Pochettino's side doubled their lead minutes before half-time when Alex Freeman reacted quickest to a deflected Sergino Dest effort and headed past Australia goalkeeper Patrick ...

An emotional night for everyone associated with the Canada team Ismael Kone's serious-looking injury left Canada manager Jesse Marsch in tears and cast a shadow over their first World Cup finals victory as they swept aside nine-man Qatar Author | Peter Grainger  Stadium | BC Place Vancouver With the co-hosts already 3-0 up in Vancouver and enjoying a numerical advantage, Qatar's Assim Omer Madibo and Kone challenged for the ball, leading to a lengthy stoppage and the Canadian midfielder being carried off on a stretcher. Madibo was initially shown a yellow card, but it was upgraded to a red following a video assistant referee (VAR) review. As Canadian supporters chanted his name, former Watford midfielder Kone was able to sit up and wave while being taken around the side of the pitch, inhaling pain relief. Canada are now in a strong position to reach the knockout rounds, but the injury to Kone could prove a major setback to any hopes of progressing beyond the last 32. The distre...

Switzerland edge towards a place in the World Cup last 32 Substitute Johan Manzambi scored twice as they beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 4-1 in a chaotic final 20 minutes. Author | Ed Stadium | Los Angeles Stadium Manzambi met a knockdown in the penalty area with a first-time volley past Bosnia goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj in the 74th minute, just two minutes and 46 seconds after he came off the bench. It was only the 20-year-old's fourth touch. With Bosnia down to 10 men following Tarik Muharemovic's straight red card for bringing down Breel Embolo when clean through on goal, Ruben Vargas doubled Switzerland's advantage with a precise curling finish into the bottom corner. Watch | Highlights from BBC Sport  Vargas turned provider in the 90th minute when he set up Manzambi to score his second of the night from close range, before Granit Xhaka converted an injury-time penalty after Djibril Sow was tripped by Amar Memic. Ermin Mahmic scored a late consolation for Bosnia with a spectacula...

Co-hosts Mexico became the first nation to reach the knockout stage of the World Cup They achieved this after edging past South Korea in Guadalajara. Author | James Y Stadium | Estadio Guadalajara Mexico midfielder Luis Romo was perfectly placed to tap into an empty net in the 50th minute after goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu spilled the ball following a collision with team-mate Lee Gi-hyuk. South Korea's best opportunity arrived three minutes from time when Cho Gue-sung's close-range header was saved by Raul Rangel, with the Mexico goalkeeper reacting again to deny Yang Hyun-jun from the rebound. Earlier, captain Son Heung-min had chipped Rangel only for Edson Alvarez to clear off the line, although the former Tottenham forward was eventually flagged offside. Roared on by a passionate home crowd that had voiced its frustration at half-time after a lacklustre opening period, Mexico almost doubled their lead in the 75th minute, but Raul Jimenez's effort from a tight angle was kept ...

A first point for both Czech Republic and South Africa at the World Cup. Teboho Mokoena's penalty cancelled out Michal Sadilek's early goal for the Czechs. Author | Ajay  Stadium | Atlanta Stadium South Africa trailed after five minutes and seven seconds when Michal Sadilek latched onto a clever lay-off and rifled home the earliest goal of the tournament so far. The Bafana Bafana, who also conceded early against Mexico in their tournament opener, eventually settled into the game, but they struggled to create chances and only managed their first shot on target in the 74th minute. But their fortunes finally changed as Thapelo Maseko's shot thundered into Pavel Sulc's arm in the Czech box with less than 10 minutes of normal time remaining. Mokoena made no mistake with the finish, slotting into the left corner. Both sides then fought to determine a winner, but neither could. This means they’ll have to beat the group favourites in order to get out of the group and reach the ...

Colombia marked their return to the World Cup with a victory over debutants Uzbekistan. Former Liverpool forward Luis Diaz and Crystal Palace defender Daniel Munoz both found the net. Author | Jack L Stadium | Azteca Stadium Having missed out on the 2022 tournament, Colombia secured all three points at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City to move to the top of Group K. A closer analysis of what happened Munoz opened the scoring with an outstanding full-stretch volley after meeting a superb forward pass from Diaz, who had earlier struck the post. Uzbekistan, managed by Italy's World Cup-winning defender Fabio Cannavaro, levelled on the hour when Abbosbek Fayzullaev headed home from close range after Colombia goalkeeper Camilo Vargas had pushed away Eldor Shomurodov's effort. But the South Americans restored their advantage almost immediately, with Diaz's shot finding the net despite Uzbekistan keeper Utkir Yusupov getting both hands to the ball. Uzbekistan, ranked 50th in the w...