MOSCOW (AP) – The Latest on Sunday at the World Cup (all times local): 11:35 p.m. Parity has come to the World Cup. Five…
MOSCOW (AP) – The Latest on Sunday at the World Cup (all times local):
11:35 p.m.
Parity has come to the World Cup.
Five of the top six nations in the FIFA rankings have played, and none has won. Only two of the top dozen teams have victories.
Top-ranked Germany lost to No. 15 Mexico, second-ranked Brazil tied No. 6 Switzerland, No. 4 Portugal drew 10th-ranked Spain, and No. 5 Argentina tied 22nd-ranked Iceland.
Among other teams in the top 12, only No. 7 France (over No. 36 Australia) and co-No. 12 Denmark (against No. 11 Peru) have victories.
No. 3 Belgium, No. 7 France, No. 8 Poland and co-No. 12 England haven’t played, and No. 9 Chile failed to qualify.
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11 p.m.
Switzerland’s well-organized defending held Brazil to a 1-1 draw in their World Cup opener, keeping Neymar and other attackers at bay for the most part.
Brazil midfielder Philippe Coutinho opened the scoring in the 20th minute, with a stylish volley that beat goalkeeper Yann Sommer, bouncing in off the right post. But coach Vladimir Petkovic’s Swiss players kept their composure and dominated in midfield for long spells in the Group E match.
Switzerland midfielder Steven Zuber headed in the equalizer in the 50th. Mexican referee Cesar Ramos dismissed complaints that Zuber had shoved defender Miranda out of the way before meeting a corner from Xherdan Shaqiri.
Ramos also ignored a penalty claim late in the second half when Brazil forward Gabriel Jesus was wrestled to the ground by Manuel Akanji.
Petkovic kept his promise to frustrate Brazil, which was seeking redemption from its disastrous 2014 World Cup exit with a 7-1 semifinal defeat on home soil by Germany.
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10:15 p.m.
Steven Zuber equalized for Switzerland after heading a corner from Xherdan Shaqiri in the 50th minute.
Brazilians players complained that Zuber pushed defender Miranda before the goal but Mexican referee Cesar Ramos dismissed the complaint and the score stands at 1-1.
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10 p.m.
FIFA says it is investigating reports of Mexico fans chanting a homophobic slur during the team’s win over Germany at the World Cup.
Some Mexican supporters chanted the slur when Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer prepared to take a goal kick in the 24th minute.
FIFA says „it is collecting the different match reports and potential evidence in regards to the matter, including the one from the anti-discrimination match observer who was present at the game as part of FIFA’s anti-discrimination monitoring system.“
Mexico’s football federation has been repeatedly fined by FIFA over fans chanting the slur.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport canceled two fines against Mexico in November, ruling the chant was „insulting“ but not meant to offend, though it left other fines in force.
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9:50 p.m.
Brazil leads 1-0 at halftime in the World Cup game against Switzerland after a goal in the 20th minute from Philippe Coutinho.
The Barcelona player beat goalkeeper Yann Sommer with a well-placed shot that curled over the ‚keeper and bounced in of the right post as the well-organized Swiss struggled to contain the Brazilian attack led by Neymar and Gabriel Jesus.
Thiago Silva headed just over the Swiss bar in injury time.
Coach Vladimir Petkovic’s experienced Swiss side remained composed after conceding the goal, dominating in midfield for long spells and with Ricardo Rodriguez and Xheridan Shaqiri testing the Brazilian defense on the two wings
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9:30 p.m.
Germany didn’t play the way it usually plays. Coach Joachim Loew isn’t sure why.
Stymied by Mexico’s skillful forwards and speedy counterattacks, the defending World Cup champion played a sloppy first half, failed to take its chances and ultimately conceded a goal that held up in Mexico’s 1-0 victory.
Loew says „We looked nervous and we were not able to play the way we wanted to play. We will have to analyze why that was the case.“
Germany is now in an unfamiliar position. No German team had lost a World Cup opener since 1982. In the four previous World Cups, Germany won its opening matches by a combined score of 20-2.
For a defending World Cup champion, however, the position is more familiar. Three of the past four have failed to make it out of the group stage.
Reminded of that statistic, Loew offered a guarantee.
„We will not suffer that fate,“ he said. „We will make it to the next round.“
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9:22 p.m.
Philippe Coutinho has scored for Brazil in the 20th minute, firing the ball past Yann Sommer after the Swiss goalkeeper failed to stop a push forward from Neymar and captain Marcelo. The Barcelona midfielder sent his powerful strike curling into the top right corner of the Swiss goal. ___
8:37 p.m.
It’s daunting enough for a smaller country with less of a track record to take on a team like England. But Tunisia’s taking pressure to another level.
Coach Nabil Maaloul has said ahead of Monday’s opening match against England that his team is carrying not only the hopes of 12 million Tunisians but also those of Africa as a whole and of the Arab world.
African teams have made a disappointing start to the World Cup. Egypt, Morocco and Nigeria have lost their first matches. Senegal plays Poland on Tuesday.
On the other hand, Maaloul said England players are having to contend with higher expectations. That’s why he expects the match in Volgograd to be tight.
– Associated Press writer Pan Pylas reported from Volgograd.
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8:20 p.m.
Cheers erupted across Mexico as the national team bested Germany in its first match of the 2018 World Cup soccer tournament.
Police have encircled the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City in anticipation of throngs of fans who traditionally flock there to celebrate big soccer wins. Immediately after the game, some danced in front of the monument. Drivers honked horns and exuberant families ran through the streets waving the Mexican flag and twirling green jerseys in the air.
Mexico beat Germany 1-0, with Hirving Lozano scoring the winning goal. It was the 22-year-old winger’s first World Cup goal.
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8:08 p.m.
Brazil coach Tite has stuck to Neymar and core players who have performed well in recent matches. Neymar and Willian will be flanking Gabriel Jesus in attack to kick off the five-time champions‘ campaign in Russia.
As expected, Swiss coach Vladimir Petkovic fielded a defensive side with Haris Seferovic as the lone striker, and formation that can provide a two-line defense in front of goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
Lineups:
Brazil: Alisson, Danilo, Thiago Silva, Miranda, Marcelo, Casemiro, Paulinho, Philippe Coutinho, Willian, Gabriel Jesus, Neymar.
Switzerland: Yann Sommer, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Fabian Schaer, Manuel Akanji, Ricardo Rodriguez, Granit Xhaka, Valon Behrami, Xherdan Shaqiri, Blerim Dzemaili, Steven Zuber, Haris Seferovic.
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7:51 p.m.
Mexico has upset Germany 1-0 in their opening World Cup game, leaving the defending champions with a tougher task to qualify for the knockout stages.
In his World Cup debut, Hirving Lozano scored Mexico’s winning goal in the 35th minute, picking up Javier Hernandez’s pass inside the penalty area and dodging Mesut Ozil before firing past Manuel Neuer from 10 yards.
After Lozano’s goal, Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa pulled off a spectacular save to keep the score level, palming Toni Kroos‘ shot onto the crossbar.
Mexico pulled back into a more defensive formation midway through the second half as key players tired and had to withstand heavy pressure from Germany.
Germany is bidding to become the first team to retain the World Cup title since Brazil in 1962. It hadn’t lost an opening game since 1982.
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7:35 p.m.
Rafa Marquez has gone on as a second-half substitute for Mexico to become just the third man to play in five World Cups.
The 39-year-old Marquez entered the game in the 72nd minute with Mexico leading defending champion Germany 1-0. He joins fellow Mexican Antonio Carbajal and Germany’s Lothar Matthaus in the elite group.
He played four matches in each World Cup as Mexico was eliminated in the round of 16 each time.
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7:15 p.m.
A Colombia fan cycled alone for more than 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) across seven European countries to reach Russia to watch his national team play in the World Cup. The 43-year-old Daniel Quiroga initially was going to make the journey with a brother and a friend, but the other two backed out of the adventure.
Four years ago, Quiroga rode from Colombia to Brazil to the 2014 World Cup with the pair, but was on a motorcycle for that journey.
After the tournament ended, he set a harder challenge for Russia and chose a bicycle.
He started out in Portugal and went through Spain, France, Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia before making it to Russia. He wore a Colombia jersey signed by members of his family and says, with a laugh, that „those signatures gave me even more energy.“
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6:55 p.m.
Mexican fans have chanted a homophobic slur at Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer during the World Cup game in Moscow.
FIFA has repeatedly fined the Mexican football federation over the chant. It rang out at Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium in the 24th minute of Mexico’s game against Germany on Sunday with the score at 0-0.
Fans in Mexico use the chant to insult opposing goalkeepers as they take a goal kick. Widely considered a slur, some argue there is no discriminatory intent.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport canceled two fines against Mexico in November, ruling the chant was „insulting“ but not meant to offend, though it left other fines in force.
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6:45 p.m.
Germany is in an unfamiliar position for a World Cup opener – trailing at halftime.
Hirving Lozano scored from 14 yards out in the 35th minute to give Mexico a 1-0 lead in Moscow. He took a pass from Javier Hernandez and wrong-footed Mesut Ozil to score his eighth international goal.
Both sides put pressure on the goalkeepers in a high-energy first half at Luzhniki Stadium. Germany had five shots on goal to Mexico’s four. German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer stopped a header just short of the goal line.
Germany has won its last seven World Cup openers, outscoring opponents 20-2 in its last four.
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6:40 p.m.
Hirving Lozano has wrong-footed Germany’s Mesut Ozil and scored from about 14 yards out to give Mexico a 1-0 lead over the defending World Cup champions.
