Draw, draw, and yet another draw

After Spain could only manage a 0-0 draw against Cape Verde on Monday night and Belgium had to settle for a 1-1 tie against Egypt, there was no winner in either of the two World Cup matches played overnight either.

The Iranian national team avoided a sporting setback in its politically charged first World Cup match. After falling behind twice, the team managed a 2-2 draw against New Zealand. The match was under particular scrutiny given the impending framework agreement in the U.S.-Iran conflict.

Numerous symbolic flags and protests were visible around the match in Inglewood. “The soccer team of the terrorist Islamic Republic does not represent the people of Iran,” read one sign. Many people waved old Iranian flags from the pre-Islamic Revolution era, which serve as a symbol of protest for the opposition. Loud boos could be heard during the national anthem.

Following Spain, Uruguay, the second favorite in Group H, also got off to a shaky start. The two-time world champions had to settle for a 1-1 (0-1) draw against Saudi Arabia in their opening match in Miami. Criticism of star coach Marcelo Bielsa (70) is likely to intensify given the team’s weak performance in the first half.

Maxi Araujo (80th minute) saved at least a point for La Celeste, who were overwhelmingly dominant after halftime, with his equalizer. Abdulelah Al-Amri (41st minute) had put Saudi Arabia ahead and raised hopes of a second upset following their sensational victory at the 2022 World Cup against eventual world champions Argentina. 

Saudi Arabia and Uruguay split the points.

Keystone

Australian referee Shaun Evans will face no consequences from FIFA for his much-discussed hand gesture. The independent disciplinary committee reviewed the matter and found no evidence of a violation of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the world governing body said in response to a dpa inquiry.

Evans had previously rejected the suspicion that he had deliberately sent a message with the gesture during the TV broadcast of the World Cup match between Germany and Curaçao (7-1). “I would like to make it clear that I did not intentionally use a hand gesture or symbol to convey any message, affiliation, game, or belief,” Evans was quoted as saying in a FIFA statement.

For Senegal’s coach Pape Thiaw, the strong results by African teams in the group stage so far come as no surprise. “It may be a surprise to you, but not to me,” said the 45-year-old when asked about the results of the opening matches ahead of his team’s game against France today.

“African soccer has changed a lot,” Thiaw explained. This was already evident when Morocco reached the semifinals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Now even more African teams are in the mix. The Africa Cup of Nations last winter also demonstrated “that the level of play is very high.”

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