Spain versus Germany headlines Sunday's action


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Germany have left themselves with a mountain to climb after slipping up against Japan, while Spain will be brimming with confidence for Sunday's titanic encounter.
 
Japan and Costa Rica get the ball rolling on matchday 2 in Group E at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan.
 
The Samurai Blue caused the second upset of the 2022 World Cup when they beat Germany 2-1 in their opening match on Wednesday.
 
Die Mannschaft had led through Ilkay Gundogan's 33rd-minute penalty but two second-half goals in the space of eight minutes from Ritsu Doan (75') and Takuma Asano (83') completed the comeback win for Hajime Moriyasu's side.
 
Los Ticos will still be smarting from their heavy 7-0 defeat to Spain on Wednesday, which equalled an unwanted record for their biggest loss, having also lost to Mexico by the same scoreline in August 1975.
 
Belgium will be targeting an improved performance when they take on Morocco at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha.
 
Roberto Martinez's side kicked off their campaign in Qatar with an unconvincing 1-0 victory over Canada on Wednesday when Michy Batshuayi's 44th-minute goal settled the contest.
 
The Red Devils weathered a first-half storm from the Maple Leafs and Martinez had to make two changes at the break to stem the tide of attacks.
 
The Atlas Lions trail Group F leaders Belgium by two points in second place after holding 2018 runners-up Croatia to a goalless draw on Wednesday.
 
The two teams struggled to create many chances in the searing desert heat of Al Khor and the stalemate extended Morocco's unbeaten run to six games.
 
Walid Regragui feels the point earned against the Vatreni could be valuable in the end as the North Africans look to progress to the last 16 for the first time since Mexico '86.
 
"When you begin with a loss, your dream is finished," Regragui said. "This game gives us more confidence. I think it's a very good point for us.
 
"We were not able to win this match but the outcome was great. We did our best and I am proud of the boys. This match was on a really high level."
 
Canada will go into their clash against Croatia at the Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan with renewed hope after taking the fight to Belgium on Wednesday.
 
John Herdman's side were by far the better team in the first half and wasted a glorious opportunity to take the lead on 10 minutes when Alphonso Davies saw his penalty saved by Thibaut Courtois.
 
The Vatreni were frustrated by a resolute Morocco last time out and they can expect another tough test from the North Americans on Sunday.
 
The action concludes with a mouth-watering clash between Spain and Germany at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.

Hansi Flick
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La Furia Roja got off to a dream start with a 7-0 hammering of Costa Rica on Wednesday to inject new life into the World Cup after three goalless draws in the last two days.
 
Luis Enrique's side didn't look back after Dani Olmo had given them the lead on 11 minutes, with further goals from Marco Asensio (21'), Ferran Torres (31' PEN, 54'), Gavi (74'), Carlos Soler (90') and Alvaro Morata (90+2) completing the rout.
 
Enrique was elated with the performance of his players as they excelled in all areas to dominate Los Ticos and he praised their all-round contribution which brought five different scorers.
 
"When things go like this, football becomes a wonderful sport," he said. "We were exceptional in our ball handling and finishing, with the same philosophy that the national team has had for years. We were exceptional in pressing and the 17 players who took part were very good.
 
"It is the national team that scores the most goals in all the championships we have been in. We may not have a benchmark player who scores 30 goals but we have Ferran, Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio, Gavi... I've never been worried about finding goals."
 
Hansi Flick's side cannot afford any more slip-ups as another defeat will see them exit the group stages for the second World Cup in a row, which is unthinkable for the four-time champions.
 
Die Mannschaft saw their title defence come to an end at the first hurdle in 2018 and Flick is determined not to see that happen again as he looks to stamp out the errors that led to their shock loss against Japan.
 
"With this defeat and zero points, we are under pressure, no question about it. We can only blame ourselves. It's a great disappointment," he said.
 
"We were on the right path in the first half, we had 78 per cent possession and were ahead 1-0. Then we had good chances in the second half that we didn't take advantage of.
 
"Japan were simply more efficient today. We made mistakes that we should never commit especially in a World Cup and those are the things that we need to improve on."
 

World Cup fixtures - Sunday, November 27

 
12h00: Japan v Costa Rica
 
15h00: Belgium v Morocco
 
18h00: Croatia v Canada
 
21h00: Spain v Germany
 

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Published: 11/24/2022