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Tag: Spain National Soccer Team

  • After World Cup success, Morocco has renewed aims to host

    After World Cup success, Morocco has renewed aims to host

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    DOHA, Qatar — The idea that Morocco could co-host the 2030 World Cup with near-neighbors Spain and Portugal seemed a bit crazy when it was floated four years ago.

    It doesn’t seem so crazy now.

    Morocco has gained status inside FIFA and credibility with fans by eliminating Spain and then Portugal in knockout games to be the first African team to advance to a World Cup semifinals.

    There are longer-term prospects for the national team with a solid foundation seemingly in place. There’s strong recruitment from the Moroccan diaspora in Europe, coupled with homegrown players nurtured at a world-class training center near Rabat.

    Though there is no proposal yet to create a first multicontinent World Cup hosting bid, the head of Morocco’s soccer federation still believes in the concept.

    “We wanted this organization to be shared between the African continent and the European continent,” Fouzi Lekjaa told The Associated Press in an interview at the team hotel this week.

    “In order to show the world that the relationship between Africa and Europe is not only the relationship of illegal immigration and the fight against it,” Lekjaa said. “Rather, it is a relationship in which civilizations can meet and cultures meet.”

    That Morocco and Spain are so geographically close — “We are only 14 kilometers (less than 10 miles) away” Lekjaa noted — is the core appeal of any joint bid as it was in 2018.

    So is the support of King Mohammed VI who immediately asked for a renewed World Cup bid when Morocco lost the 2026 tournament hosting vote to the heavily favored United States-Canada-Mexico plan. The latest in a streak of losing Morocco bids was a 134-65 vote by FIFA member federations in Moscow on the eve of the last World Cup.

    What has changed since 2018?

    Lekjaa, a government minister in charge of the state budget, now has more influence at FIFA as an African elected delegate on its ruling Council since joining last year. He is clearly in good graces with FIFA president Gianni Infantino given that holding a government job was once a barrier to candidates in order to avoid potential conflicts of interest.

    “Now we seek to be a key player in the international dimension within FIFA,” Lekjaa acknowledged.

    What seems possible in soccer politics also changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, with continental championships postponed plus hosts and scheduled dates changed at short notice.

    European soccer body UEFA was flatly opposed in 2018 to jointly bidding with another continent.

    Still, Europe and Africa combine to have 109 of the 211 FIFA voting members and there was clear politics involved in Ukraine joining the Spain-Portugal bid in October.

    FIFA has yet to specify a timetable and bid rules toward an expected hosting decision in 2024 for the 2030 tournament.

    Infantino also had talks with political leaders that fueled speculation of an unlikely three-continent bid anchored by Saudi Arabia and also including Egypt and Greece. By comparison, uniting Spain, Portugal and Morocco looks more logical.

    The 100-year anniversary of the World Cup is in 2030, and the original 1930 host, Uruguay, is jointly bidding for it with Argentina, Chile and Paraguay. The South American soccer body CONMEBOL has just 10 votes at FIFA.

    Morocco is also building influence in African soccer and winning admirers globally for the $65 million Mohammed VI Football Center, which is a training base for players, coaches, referees and officials.

    “Morocco’s policy has made us an important partner for all African countries. We are present in partnerships in money and business, and also in sports,” Lekjaa said.

    Under his leadership since 2014, the Moroccan federation tried to professionalize management at its clubs, install more natural grass pitches and create regional youth training bases.

    Casablanca-based team Wydad, coached by Walid Regragui, benefited from this strategy, winning Africa’s Champions League in May.

    Regragui was installed as the coach of Morocco’s national team three months later, with Lekjaa emphasizing that the national team that beat Portugal on Saturday featured seven players from Moroccan clubs.

    “There is no reason for European teams to be better than us,” Lekjaa said. “They are now better than us because they work in professional ways, and this is what we seek.”

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    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Morocco and Spain go to penalty shootout at World Cup

    Morocco and Spain go to penalty shootout at World Cup

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    Spain’s Marco Asensio, top, and Morocco’s Nayef Aguerd challenge for the ball during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Morocco and Spain, at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

    The Associated Press

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  • Japan beats Spain 2-1 as both teams advance at World Cup

    Japan beats Spain 2-1 as both teams advance at World Cup

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    DOHA, Qatar — Same stadium. Same result. Similar shocking victory for Japan at the World Cup.

    After beating Germany in the team’s opener, Japan worked its way into the round of 16 of the World Cup on Thursday by defeating Spain 2-1 — the same score as last week.

    Spain also advanced despite the loss, knocking Germany out of the tournament.

    Japan scored twice early in the second half to come from behind and defeat another European powerhouse and make it to the knockout stage for the second straight World Cup. It’s the first time Japan has advanced past the group stage in back-to-back tournaments.

    “For Asia and for Japan, our victories over Spain and Germany, two of the top teams in the world, is something that give us great confidence and we are very pleased,” Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said. “Of course, there are many things we still have to learn, but Asia can win in the world stage, Japan can win in the world stage.”

    Ao Tanaka scored the winning goal from close range early in the second half. It took about two minutes for video review officials to confirm the ball hadn’t gone out of bounds before the goal at Khalifa International Stadium, where Japan had shocked Germany in its opener.

    Players from both teams looked surprised when it was announced that the goal counted, and the Japanese started running toward their bench again to celebrate with their teammates.

    “From my angle I think the ball was clearly half out, but more than that I could not see because of the speed,” Tanaka said. “I was concentrating in scoring. There was always a possibility that it was out … But in the end it was a goal, so that was great.”

    Japan finished at the top of Group E and will next face Croatia. Spain will take on Group F winner Morocco.

    Spain and Germany — which beat Costa Rica 4-2 in a simultaneous match — both had four points in the group. But Spain had a superior goal difference.

    The group standings bounced back and forth during both matches. Costa Rica was beating Germany at one point. If that result had stood, Costa Rica would have eliminated Spain.

    Spain coach Luis Enrique said he didn’t know that at one point Costa Rica was winning.

    “If I had known about it, I could have had a heart attack,” he said.

    Álvaro Morata scored for Spain in the 11th minute and the 2010 champions were in control until Japan rallied after halftime. Ritsu Doan equalized in the 48th with a left-footed shot from outside the box and Tanaka added the second three minutes later.

    Luis Enrique said Spain “got into collapse mode.”

    “We totally lost control during those five minutes. We panicked,” Luis Enrique said. “If they had to score more goals, they would have been able to do it. They got past us like an airplane.”

    Morata became the first Spain player to score in the team’s first three matches at the World Cup since Telmo Zarra in 1950.

    Spain had opened with a 7-0 rout of Costa Rica before conceding late in a 1-1 draw against Germany.

    Japan, which lost to Costa Rica in its second match, was eliminated by Belgium in the last 16 four years ago in Russia. The Japanese have never gotten past the round of 16 at the World Cup.

    By finishing second in the group, Spain may avoid facing Brazil in the quarterfinals and Argentina in the semifinals.

    “There is nothing to celebrate,” Luis Enrique said. “I’m not happy. We wanted to finish in first place with a victory.”

    The coach said he was surprised that the second goal by Japan was confirmed by VAR. He said he was shown a photo of the ball out of bounds.

    “That photo they showed me must have been altered,” Luis Enrique said. “That’s the only explanation.”

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    Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni

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    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Costa Rica rallies late to beat Japan 1-0 in Group E

    Costa Rica rallies late to beat Japan 1-0 in Group E

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    AL RAYYAN, Qatar — Keysher Fuller scored in the 81st minute to lift Costa Rica to a 1-0 victory over Japan on Sunday, leaving both teams with three points after two games in Group E of the World Cup.

    Fuller took advantage of a defensive error when Japan failed to clear the ball and hit the net from 18 meters just off the fingertips of leaping Japan goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda.

    The match at Ahmad Bin Ali stadium was tactical and largely lackluster, particularly in a first half that did not yield a single shot on goal. The second half was slightly better with Japan pressing throughout until Costa Rica broke through.

    Costa Rica keeper Keylor Navas came up with several rapid fire saves in the final minutes to ensure the victory.

    Japan has one Group E game remaining with Spain, and Costa Rica faces Germany in its final group match. With a victory, Japan could have all but wrapped up a place in the knockout stage after a 2-1 upset of Germany in its opener. Costa Rica was pounded by Spain 7-0 in its first game and just trying to survive.

    Japan had the edge in corners, shots, and possession but could not find the net.

    The first half might have been one of the worst of the tournament that has already seen four 0-0 draws. Neither team had a shot on goal in a tactical stalemate.

    Ritsu Doan, who scored one of Japan’s goals in the 2-1 win over Germany, looked the most threatening early with runs down the right side looking to cut in crosses.

    Costa Rica’s most menacing player always looked like Joel Campbell, trying to use his speed on the left flank.

    There was more action in the first two minutes after the break than in the entire first half.

    Hidemasa Morita tested Navas with a blistering shot in the first minute, and Takuma Asano forced another save a minute later.

    Despite Japan’s attacking intent, the late defensive error cost the team, which seemed headed for a draw and a valuable point.

    Japan, which is appearing it its seventh straight World Cup, has reached the knockout stage on three occasions, losing each time in the round of 16. Costa Rica reached the quarterfinals in Brazil in 2014.

    Japan may not win the World Cup, but it’s winning goodwill with its tradition of cleaning up fan areas and player dressing rooms after the match. This dates from Japan’s first appearance in the World Cup in 1998. This time Japanese team officials have arrived with 8,000 trash bags with thank-you greetings in Arabia, Japanese, and English.

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    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • 2 brothers, 2 teams, 2 contrasting experiences at World Cup

    2 brothers, 2 teams, 2 contrasting experiences at World Cup

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    DOHA, Qatar — Joy for the Williams family of Spain on Wednesday at the World Cup. Then despair for the same Williams family, who are also of Ghana, on Thursday.

    Williams brothers Iñaki and Nico have managed to mark both sides of their family’s heritage in the most incredible way at this World Cup in Qatar by playing for two different countries. They were both born in Spain but their parents are from Ghana.

    Nico was part of the Spain team that beat Costa Rica 7-0 on Wednesday in the tournament’s most compelling performance so far. He came on as a second-half substitute to make his World Cup debut in Spain’s record win at the tournament.

    A day later, big brother Iñaki played his first World Cup game for Ghana, a 3-2 loss to Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal.

    That meant a complicated 24 hours in the family home back in Spain with celebrations for 20-year-old Nico no doubt swiftly followed by commiserations for 28-year-old Iñaki. The same for the two brothers, who Ghana coach Otto Addo said both feel as Spanish as they do Ghanaian.

    “I know that they both have a good strong relationship with their mother and their fatherland,” was how Addo put it.

    Because of his love for his parents’ country, Iñaki’s integration into the Ghana team has been very easy, Addo added, even if he was born in Bilbao in raised in the Basque region.

    Iñaki, a forward just like Nico, played the whole game for Ghana against Portugal and stood in the center circle at the end of the game looking bitterly disappointed with the loss.

    “Maybe for some it’s difficult to understand but I think it’s really possible to have two countries in your heart,” Addo said of Iñaki. “And surely he has Ghana in his heart from day one. But also Spain.”

    The story behind the situation is inspiring, and it involves their parents’ decision to leave Ghana nearly 30 years ago to find a better life in Europe.

    Never could Felix and Maria Williams have thought they would end up with two sons playing at the World Cup when they trekked barefoot through parts of a desert and climbed a fence to get into Spain in the early 1990s. Maria was pregnant with Iñaki at the time.

    They settled in Bilbao and both boys grew up to be soccer players. They still play club soccer together for hometown team Athletic Bilbao.

    The brothers careers have always been connected, even after Iñaki decided this year to switch allegiance to Ghana and go back his roots. Them playing for two different countries in the space of 24 hours was, incredibly, not the first time it has happened.

    Iñaki made his debut for Ghana on Sept. 23 this year against Brazil, featuring first this time. Nico made his first appearance for Spain against Switzerland a day later.

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    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Teen Gavi leads Spain to 7-0 rout of Costa Rica at World Cup

    Teen Gavi leads Spain to 7-0 rout of Costa Rica at World Cup

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    DOHA, Qatar — Not since Pelé in 1958 had someone as young as Gavi scored a goal at the World Cup.

    The 18-year-old midfielder led the way Wednesday as Spain pulled off the biggest World Cup victory in its history, routing Costa Rica 7-0.

    “I could never have imagined it,” said Gavi, who was named the game’s most valuable player. “I know I’m the youngest in the team and I respect everyone, but on the field it’s different and I bring out my best.”

    Pelé scored two goals in the 1958 final, when Brazil won its first World Cup by beating Sweden 5-2.

    “I’m proud to be in that podium,” he said. “Not even in my dreams I had imagined this.”

    Gavi only managed to score one goal on Wednesday, but his teammates added plenty of others.

    Not long after Japan surprised Germany 2-1 in the other Group E match, Spain’s young squad avoided any chance of an upset with Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio and Ferran Torres scoring a goal each in the first half. Torres, Gavi, Carlos Soler and Álvaro Morata added to the lead in the second half.

    In addition to Gavi’s mark, Olmo’s goal was the 100th at World Cups for “La Roja,” which became the sixth nation to score more than 100 times in the tournament.

    It was the first time Spain scored seven goals in a World Cup match, and the first time a team completed 1,000 passes in a 90-minute game at the tournament.

    “Our only goal is to control the game continuously, and to do that you need to have the ball,” Spain coach Luis Enrique said.

    With Gavi and 19-year-old Pedri starting, Spain also became the first European nation with two teenagers in the starting lineup of a World Cup match in 60 years, according to statistics platform Opta.

    Gavi and Pedri were among the many youngsters picked by Luis Enrique in a revamped squad in Qatar — the third-youngest team among the 32 nations, after the United States and Ghana.

    The young duo helped Spain control the pace of the match from the start at Al Thumama Stadium. The 22-year-old Torres, who is dating the daughter of coach Luis Enrique, scored his first World Cup goal from the penalty spot in the 31st minute. The others came during the run of play.

    “When things go your way like this, soccer becomes wonderful,” Luis Enrique said. “We played exceptionally well with and without the ball.”

    Costa Rica looked overwhelmed throughout the game in its third straight World Cup campaign, failing to even get a single attempt on goal. The team came to Qatar hoping to repeat its surprise run to the quarterfinals in 2014 in Brazil, and avoid a repeat of its winless showing four years ago in Russia.

    “We didn’t hold on to the possession as we should have done it,” Costa Rica coach Luis Fernando Suárez said. “We couldn’t complete three or four passes.”

    Spanish players made it look easy with the ball on their feet, finishing the match with 72% of possession.

    Spain, which didn’t get past the round of 16 in Russia, is trying to break through with a major title after making it to the final of the Nations League and the semifinals of last year’s European Championship. This year the team also qualified for the Final Four of the Nations League for a second straight time. Spain’s last major triumph came at Euro 2012, two years after it won its lone World Cup title in South Africa.

    Only five countries have scored more goals than Spain at the World Cup — Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Italy and France.

    Spain next faces four-time World Cup champion Germany on Sunday in one of the most anticipated matches of the World Cup.

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    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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    Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni

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  • Spain’s Morata substituted for hurt foot in Atlético game

    Spain’s Morata substituted for hurt foot in Atlético game

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    MADRID — Atlético Madrid and Spain striker Álvaro Morata has had to be substituted after hurting his right leg in Saturday’s Spanish league match at Cádiz with the World Cup less than a month away.

    Atlético’s initial description of his injury was a “contusion.”

    Morata could not continue after defender Mamadou Mbaye stomped on his right foot in the seventh minute. He spent some time writhing on the turf before walking gingerly off when replaced by Cunha.

    Morata is the first-choice striker for Spain coach Luis Enrique, who is scheduled to announce his World Cup squad on Nov. 11.

    Spain opens the World Cup against Costa Rica on Nov. 23. The 2010 winner also faces Germany and Japan in Group E in Qatar.

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    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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