SOCCER - WORLD CUP - 2022
QATAR
2021
Qualifier - San Marino (0) @ (5) England - A mostly 2nd-string England team opened their World Cup Qualification with a big win at Wembley. England dominated the game statistically (85% possession, 32 shots on goal) and eased out to a 3-0 lead at the half. The pace slowed after a raft of 2nd half substitutions, but 2 more goals rounded out the scoring. The goals came from James Ward-Prowse (his first for England), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (2), Raheem Sterling and Ollie Watkins, on debut (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Dixon, PAL)
Qualifier - England (2) @ (0) Albania - England maintained their winning start to their qualifying campaign with a comfortable victory over Albania in Tirana. The hosts defended in numbers in the 1st half and it took England until the 38th minute to break the deadlock with a goal from Harry Kane. As Albania were forced into attacking more in the 2nd half, England had more chances and took a decisive 2-goal lead in the 63rd minute when Mason Mount capitalised on a Defensive mistake to knock the stuffing out of the home team, and England cruised home to the win (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Dixon, PAL)
Qualifier - Poland (1) @ (2) England - England finished their stretch of 3 qualifiers in 7 days with maximum points as they beat Poland at Wembley. England had the better of the 1st half and took a 1-0 lead in at the half thanks to a penalty from Harry Kane. But as they started to cruise in the 2nd half, Poland capitalised on a dreadful mistake by Defender John Stones and Jakub Moder scored to level the scores. The game seemed destined for a draw until Harry Maguire blasted in a game-winner from inside the box with 5 minutes to go to take all 3 points. Poland were missing star striker Robert Lewandowski to injury (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Dixon, PAL)
Qualifier - England (4) @ (0) Hungary - England continued their winning start to the qualifying group with a big win against Hungary in a hostile Puskás Aréna in Budapest. All the goals came in the 2nd half with Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane, Harry Maguire and Declan Rice finding the net. England suffered a lot of abuse during the game, including loud jeering when England's players took the knee before kick-off, objects being thrown and racist chanting (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Dixon, PAL)
Qualifier - Andorra (0) @ (4) England - England finally saw off a hard-working Andorra team at Wembley to stay top of the qualifying group. England made 11 changes from the team that played in the previous game, and gave a debut to striker Patrick Bamford (Leeds). The England goals came from Jesse Lingard (2), Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka, with 3 of the goals coming in the final 18 minutes. England dominated the stats with 88% possession and 20 shots on goal (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Dixon, PAL)
Qualifier - England (1) @ (1) Poland - England kept their unbeaten run in qualifying, but Poland denied them the victory in Warsaw with a late equaliser. England looked on course for a big win as the game entered injury time at the end of the game, but Poland finally took advantage of an opening and scored the equaliser to earn a draw. The England goal came from Harry Kane with a great finish, and the Poland goal came from substitute Damian Szymanski after a great cross from striker Robert Lewandowski (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Dixon, PAL)
Qualifier - England (5) @ (0) Andorra - England shook off the disappointing draw with Poland and got back to winning ways with a comfortable win over Andorra. With Phil Foden pulling the strings, England took a 2-0 lead in at the half. 3 more goals in the 2nd half, including a first England goal for Jack Grealish, sealed the win. The other England goals came from Ben Chilwell, Bukayo Saka, Tammy Abraham and James Ward-Prowse. Ukrainian referee Kateryna Mozul also became the first woman to officiate a senior England men's game (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Dixon, PAL)
Qualifier - Hungary (1) @ (1) England - England maintained their unbeaten record in qualification, but were held to a draw at Wembley Stadium. Both goals were scored in the 1st half, with England cancelling out a 24th minute Hungarian penalty. England played an attacking formation, with Phil Foden, Mason Mount and Jack Grealish supporting Harry Kane, but failed to create any meaningful chances. The England goal came from John Stones and the Hungary goal came from Roland Sallai (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Dixon, PAL)
Qualifier - Albania (0) @ (5) England - England moved to within 1 point of automatic qualification for the World Cup with a demolition of Albania at Wembley Stadium. All the goals came in the 1st half as England made the most of their chances, and the 2nd half turned into a procession as Albania offered little in attack. England gave a 2nd half debut to Arsenal's Emile Smith Rowe. The England goals came from Harry Maguire, Jordan Henderson and Harry Kane (3). Kane's goals set an England record for goals in competitive matches (39) (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Dixon, PAL)
Qualifier - England (10) @ (0) San Marino - England easily qualified for the 2022 World Cup Finals with a big win in San Marino. The 210th rank team in the world offered little resistance as England went in at the break with a 6-0 lead. 4 more goals in the 2nd half padded the score and secured England's first 10-0 win since 1964. England gave a 2nd half debut to Crystal Palace's Conor Gallagher. The England goals came from Harry Maguire, Harry Kane (4), Emile Smith Rowe, Tyrone Mings, Tammy Abraham, Bukayo Saka and an own goal (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Dixon, PAL)
2022
Playoff Final - Ukraine (0) @ (1) Wales - On a night of high-emotion at the Cardiff City Stadium, Wales overcame Ukraine to book a place in their first World Cup since 1958. Against the backdrop of their country's invasion by Russia, Ukraine fought hard against the home-crowd, but were denied by a great Defensive effort from Wales. The game was settled in the 34th minute when a free-kick from captain Gareth Bale was inadvertently headed in by Ukraine captain Andriy Yarmolenko. Wales held on the rest of the way and celebrated a famous win (9, 2 Discs, SKY - Tyler/Edwards, PAL)
FIFA World Cup 2022 Draw - The BBC Sport team look at the draw for the mens World Cup in Qatar, with special attention paid to England and their opponents (9, 1 hour 31 minutes, 1 Disc, PAL)
FINALS
Group B - England (6) v (2) Iran - England opened their World Cup campaign with a big win at the Khalifa International Stadium. England made the most of their chances and took a 3-0 lead in at the half before coasting home in the 2nd half. The England goals came from Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka (2), Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish. Both the Iran goals came from Mehdi Taremi (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Jenas, PAL)
Group B - England (0) v (0) USA - Both teams huffed and puffed to little effect in a game that neither team could afford to lose. England were strong in Defense, led by a big game from Harry Maguire, but were poor in attack, managing only 3 shots on target. USA were more energetic than England but didn't have an end product, only managing 1 shot on target in the game. With the draw, both teams remained in contention to qualify for the knockout round. England featured Jude Bellingham and Jack Grealish. USA featured Christian Pulisic and captain Tyler Adams (9, No Pre-Game, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Dixon, PAL)
Group B - England (3) v (0) Wales - England comfortably ended the group stage top of Group B with a big win over Wales at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. With the loss, Wales were eliminated from the World Cup. After a scoreless 1st half, England took control with 2 goals in 2 minutes and ended the game as a contest with a 3rd goal after 68 minutes. The England goals came from Marcus Rashford (2) and Phil Foden. Wales featured captain Gareth Bale (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Jenas/Gabbidon, PAL)
Group E - Japan (2) v (1) Spain - In a sensational finish to Group E, Japan fought back from a goal down to beat Spain and qualify for the knockout round. Spain, who only needed a draw to qualify for the Last 16, took an early lead from Alvaro Morata but couldn't find the killer 2nd goal and went in at the half 1-0 up. Japan, who needed a win to qualify for the Last 16, turned the game around by sending on substitutes Ritsu Doan and Kaoru Mitoma at half-time and they made a huge impact, with Doan scoring the equaliser and Mitoma setting up the game-winner from Ao Tanaka. Ao Tanaka's goal was checked by VAR and despite the ball looking as if it had crossed the by-line before Mitoma crossed it for Tanaka to score, the goal was given. Spain went in search of the equaliser but Japan held on to win and celebrated a place in the Last 16 (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/McCoist, PAL)
Group E - Costa Rica (2) v (4) Germany - In a wild game at the Al Bayt Stadium, Germany sensationally crashed out of the World Cup at the Group stage for the 2nd successive tournament despite beating Costa Rica. To qualify for the Last 16, Germany needed to win and hope that Spain beat Japan but the Japanese upset Spain and Germany went out on goal difference. The Germany goals came from Serge Gnabry, Kai Havertz (2) and Niclas Füllkrug. The Costa Rica goals came from Yeltsin Tejeda and Juan Pablo Vargas. The game also marked the first time that a World Cup match was officiated by an all-female team (Stephanie Frappart refereeing, joined by assistant referees Neuza Back and Karen Diaz Medina) (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Champion/Hartson, PAL)
Last 16 - England (3) v (0) Senegal - England survived early pressure to ruthlessly beat the Africans at the Al Bayt Stadium and book their place in the Quarter Finals. Senegal started better but couldn't find the goal they needed and England made them pay, scoring 2 goals late in the 1st half to take control then finished off Senegal with a 3rd goal after 57 minutes. The England goals came from Jordan Henderson, Phil Foden and Harry Kane. The man-of-the-match was England's Jude Bellingham, who set up 2 goals (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Dixon, PAL)
Last 16 - Portugal (6) v (1) Switzerland - In a sensational match at the Lusail Stadium, Portugal routed Switzerland to book their place in the Quarter Finals. The story of the game was Portugal coach Fernando Santos dropping Cristiano Ronaldo to the bench after Ronaldo disapproved of being substituted in the final group game. But the team responded by putting together a stunning team display, scoring 2 goals in the 1st half and 4 goals in the 2nd half. Cristiano Ronaldo did come on as a substitute in the 73rd minute. The Portugal goals came from Gonçalo Ramos (3), Pepe, Raphael Guerreiro and Rafael Leão. The Switzerland goal came from Manuel Akanji (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/McCoist, PAL)
Last 16 - Brazil (4) v (1) South Korea - Brazil dominated South Korea at the Stadium 974 in Doha, ending the game as a contest in the 1st half with a dazzling display of attacking football. Led by Richarlison and Neymar, Brazil passed around and through South Korea and sent the Selecao in at the half with a 4-0 lead. South Korea tightened up defensively in the 2nd half, and Brazil comfortably saw out the game for a place in the Quarter Finals. The Brazil goals came from Vinicius Jr, Neymar, Richarlison and Lucas Paqueta. The South Korea goal came from substitute Paik Seung-ho with a brilliant long-range effort (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Champion/McCoist, PAL)
Quarter Final - Brazil (1) v (1) Croatia - Croatia upset Brazil, showing great tenacity to take the Selecao to penalties where they held their nerve to knock out the favourites at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan. Brazil dominated the match but couldn't find the all-important goal, and Croatia held on to force extra-time. Brazil finally found the breakthrough in extra-time, but Croatia sensationally equalised with 3 minutes from time to take the game to a shootout. Croatia proved the more ruthless, as Brazil missed 2 kicks and Croatia won the shootout 4-2 to book a place in the Semi-Finals. The Brazil goal came from Neymar, who equalled Pele's National team record (77 goals). The Croatia goal came from Bruno Petkovic, with his teams' only shot on target in the game (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Jenas, PAL)
Quarter Final - Netherlands (2) v (2) Argentina - At the Lusail Stadium, Argentina survived a Dutch fight-back to book a place in the Semi-Finals. Argentina were cruising at 2-0 with 7 minutes to play in the game when the Netherlands scored 2 goals, including the equaliser in the 11th minute of injury time, to force extra-time. After a scoreless extra-time, the game went to penalties where Argentina prevailed 4-3 to book a place in the Semi-Finals. The Argentina goals came from Nahuel Molina and Lionel Messi, a penalty. Both the Netherlands goals came from substitute Wout Weghorst (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Pearce/Keown, PAL)
Quarter Final - Portugal (0) v (1) Morocco - Morocco became the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final with a tight win over Portugal at the Al Thumama Stadium. Morocco only had 3 shots on goal, but used one of them to take a 1-0 lead in at the half. Portugal dominated the 2nf half, looking for an equaliser, but Morocco defended magnificently and held on for the upset win. The Morocco goal came from Youssef En-Nesyri. Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo came on as a 50th minute substitute but had no affect on the game. The game proved to be his final World Cup game (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Champion/McCoist, PAL)
Quarter Final - England (1) v (2) France - At the Al Bayt Stadium, France overcame England to book a place in their 2nd consecutive World Cup Semi-Final. France took a 1-0 lead in at the half, but England equalised with a penalty in the 54th minute. Both teams were evenly matched the rest of the way, but France re-took the lead in the 78th minute only for England to win a penalty 6 minutes later. This time, though, the penalty went over the bar and France held on the rest of the way to seal the win. The France goals came from Aurelien Tchouameni and Olivier Giroud. France also featured Kylian Mbappe, who had a quiet game. The England goal came from Harry Kane, who equalled Wayne Rooney's National Scoring Record (53 goals) (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Dixon, PAL)
Semi-Final - Argentina (3) v (0) Croatia - Argentina ended Croatia's run through the World Cup with a clinical win in the Lusail Stadium. The main protagonist was Argentina's Lionel Messi, who had a hand in all 3 goals. 2 goals in 5 minutes late in the 1st half effectively ended the game and a 3rd goal in the 69th minute sealed the win. The Argentina goals came from Julian Alvarez (2) and Lionel Messi, a penalty (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Dixon/McCoist, PAL)
Final - Argentina (3) v (3) France - In arguably the greatest World Cup Final ever, Argentina won their 3rd World Cup, and their 1st since 1986, with a penalty shootout win over France at the Lusail Stadium. Argentina surprisingly dominated the game for 80 minutes and held a comfortable 2-0 lead as the game wound down. But sensationally, France scored 2 goals in 2 minutes to force extra-time. Argentina went in front again in extra-time but once again France equalised and the game went to penalties. In the penalty shootout, Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez proved the hero as he saved 1 kick and forced a miss on another kick. Argentina converted all their kicks and won the shootout 4-2 to win the World Cup. The Argentina goals came from Lionel Messi (2) and Angel Di María. All the France goals came from Kylian Mbappe, who became only the 2nd player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup Final (9, 4 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Jenas, PAL)