US Soccer briefly scrubs emblem from Iran flag at World Cup

The U.S. Soccer Federation briefly displayed Iran's national flag on social media without the emblem of the Islamic Republic. The federation described the move as a show of support for protesters in Iran ahead of the two nations' World Cup match Tuesday. The federation says in a statement Sunday that it decided to forego the official flag on social media accounts to show "support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights." The move comes as nationwide protests challenging Tehran's theocratic government continue in Iran.

Argentina breathes collective sigh of relief after victory

Argentines have breathed a collective sigh of relief as the country obtained a 2-0 victory over Mexico dissipating doubts that had emerged about Lionel Messi's team after the shock loss against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. The doubts that had emerged about the fitness of the national team at the World Cup, long considered one of the favorites, appear to have dissipated amid the jubilation over the result of a game that was crucial to decide the country's fate in the tournament. "I'm so proud. I truly loved the match," said Luciana Medina, a 23-year-old communications student.

Messi steals the magic that Ochoa, Mexico had in 1st game

Guillermo Ochoa's World Cup magic didn't work against Lionel Messi and Argentina. Mexico's goalkeeper is known for big saves in soccer's biggest tournament and had stopped Robert Lewandowski's penalty attempt in El Tri's World Cup opener. But he was helpless against Messi's second-half blast from distance in the 64th minute. Enzo Hernandez added a second goal in the waning minutes to give Argentina a 2-0 victory. Ochoa and Messi grasped hands, and the goalkeeper known by his nickname Memo affectionately patted a gloved hand on his opponent's head.

Biggest World Cup crowd in 28 years sees Messi play

Lionel Messi played in front of 88,966 spectators when Argentina beat Mexico 2-0. It was the largest attendance at a World Cup match in 28 years. FIFA says the Lusail Stadium held the most people at the World Cup since the 1994 final. There were 91,194 people at the Rose Bowl in California to see Brazil beat Italy in that penalty shootout. The record World Cup attendance is 173,850 at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Uruguay beat host Brazil 2-1 in the 1950 tournament's final game.

Denmark calls on Euro 2020, Eriksen experience at World Cup

Denmark has been here before. The Danes face a must-win game at the World Cup to make it through to the knockout stage. It was even worse last year at the European Championship when Denmark lost its first two games while trying to cope with the trauma of teammate Christian Eriksen's cardiac arrest in the first match against Finland. All seemed lost. But Denmark beat Russia 4-1 in its final group game using Eriksen as an inspiration and made it all the way to the Euro 2020 semifinals. Forward Andreas Cornelius says Denmark's players will "carry that with us" at the World Cup when they face Australia.

Saudi Arabia coach Hervé Renard sorry to disappoint mother

Saudi Arabia coach Hervé Renard was sorry to disappoint his mom when Poland beat his team at the World Cup on Saturday. The French coach said before the match that it was going to be special for her because her parents were Polish, "but she will wear her Saudi national shirt tomorrow, don't worry." It's the first World Cup that Renard's mother has attended, and she was there Saturday to see Robert Lewandowski score one goal and set up another for Poland's 2-0 win. Renard says, "She won't be happy with me this evening. I'm sure she's really sad."

Messi leads Argentina to 2-0 win over Mexico at World Cup

Lionel Messi came up with another crucial goal for Argentina in a 2-0 win over Mexico that ignited the team's World Cup chances. Messi took a touch from Angel Di Maria's pass across the face of the area and drove a low shot from 25 yards into the bottom corner in the 64th minute. Substitute Enzo Fernandez added a second goal in the 87th minute. Argentina bounced back from a shocking 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in its opening match. The team is in second place in Group C ahead of its last match against Poland on Wednesday. The 35-year-old Messi is likely playing in his last World Cup.

Neymar shows swollen ankle, plans to return at World Cup

Neymar is planning a World Cup comeback despite posting a photo of his ankle still looking very swollen. Neymar is undergoing treatment for damaged ligaments in his right ankle after getting hurt in Brazil's 2-0 opening win against Serbia on Thursday. Team doctors said Neymar will miss Monday's match against Switzerland but did not elaborate on a timetable for his return. Neymar wrote on Instagram that he was enduring "one of the most difficult moments" of his career but seemed optimistic about his chances of returning. He showed two photos of his swollen ankle in an Instagram story.

Mbappe scores 2, France reaches knockout stage of World Cup

Kylian Mbappe scored two goals and put defending champion France into the knockout stage of the World Cup with a 2-1 win over Denmark. Mbappe put France ahead in the 61st minute and scored the winner in the 86th with his right thigh as Les Bleus became the first team to advance to the next round. Denmark dfender Andreas Christensen equalized for his team with a header in the 68th. Mbappe has scored three goals so far in Qatar. He scored four goals when France won the World Cup four years ago.

'Normal thing to do': Japanese fans tidy up at World Cup

at home, at school, at work, or on streets from Tokyo to Osaka, Shizuoka to Sapporo. Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu says "for Japanese people, this is just the normal thing to do."

Serbia charged over locker room Kosovo flag at World Cup

FIFA has charged the Serbian soccer federation in a disciplinary case about a political banner. A flag about neighboring independent state Kosovo was hung in the locker room before Serbia played Brazil on Thursday. It showed a map of Serbia that included the territory of its former province and the slogan "No Surrender." Kosovo has been an independent state for nearly 15 years. Photos circulated of the banner draped over the lockers of Milos Veljkovic and Andrija Zivkovic ahead of the team's 2-0 loss to Brazil. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo's independence.

Lewandowski scores at World Cup, Poland beats Saudis 2-0

Robert Lewandowski finally scored at the World Cup. The 34-year-old striker helped Poland beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 and boost his team's chances of reaching the knockout stages. Lewandowski shed tears after scoring in the 82nd minute. It was his first World Cup goal in his fifth appearance at the tournament. Lewandowski also set up for the opener in the 40th minute when he kept the ball in play after goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais' initial block and laid it back for Piotr Zielinski to knock in.

Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley voted to US Soccer Hall

Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley have been elected to the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame and will be inducted May 6 along with Lauren Cheney Holiday. The 40-year-old Donovan was a midfielder and forward who scored 57 goals in 157 international appearances from 2000 through 2014. He is tied with Clint Dempsey for the U.S. scoring record and is second in appearances. The 40-year-old Beasley became the first American to play in four World Cups: 2002, '06, '10 and '14. A defender and midfielder, he scored 17 goals in 126 international appearances from 2001-17.

On outskirts of Doha, laborers watch World Cup they built

Far from Doha's luxury hotels and sprawling new World Cup stadiums, scores of South Asian workers poured into a cricket ground in the city's sandy outskirts to enjoy the tournament they helped create. Their treatment has been the controversial backstory of the 2022 World Cup, ever since Qatar won the bid to host the soccer championship. Headlines have been filled with reports of their low wages, inhospitable conditions and long hours, often in the scorching heat. But on Friday night as the Netherlands played Ecuador, the bleachers of the cricket stadium heaved with workers reveling on their one day off of the week.

World Cup analysts cite more goals from crosses, penalties

More crosses creating more goals. Winning penalties with "total genius" like Cristiano Ronaldo. Pressing opponents to get the ball back quickly. FIFA's expert analysts picked their World Cup trends Saturday from the first 16 games. The Technical Study Group saw more and better crosses creating more goals coming from wide areas. 14 instead of three at the same stage of the 2018 tournament. Nine penalty kicks awarded in 16 games puts this World Cup on a record pace for spot-kicks. FIFA analyst Sunday Oliseh suggested strikers like Cristiano Ronaldo are getting smarter at tempting defenders into making fouls.

Iran shuts out noise at World Cup but United States looms

Iran is celebrating the prospect of its first ever trip to the knockout stage at the World Cup following a disastrous loss and persistent questions about the civil unrest back home. But Team Melli has one more hurdle in the United States national team. Iran defeated Wales 2-0 Friday and collected the three points to rise from the bottom of Group B. England and the United States played to a scoreless draw. That set up a politically fraught match between Iran and the Americans on Tuesday that will decide which team goes through to the round of 16.

Brazil with plenty of options to replace Neymar at World Cup

Neymar is out for at least another match so Brazil coach Tite must now start thinking about a replacement. He has plenty of options. Tite brought nine forwards to the World Cup and could also add a midfielder as Neymar's replacement if wanted. Neymar hurt his right ankle in Brazil's opening 2-0 win over Serbia on Thursday. The most straight forward option would be to use Rodrygo in Neymar's position. Another alternative would be to put an extra midfielder in Neymar's position to free up the other forwards.

Australia's emotions run high after rare World Cup win

Australia beat Tunisia 1-0 to revive its chances of advancing from the group stage at the World Cup. Mitchell Duke scored the winning goal midway through the first half with a header. It was Australia's first win at soccer's biggest event since a victory over Serbia back in 2010 and its first shutout at the World Cup since its tournament debut in 1974. The Socceroos still have a chance to qualify for the round of 16 despite losing to defending champion France 4-1 in their opening match. Tunisia plays France and Australia meets Denmark in the final round of group games on Wednesday.

Energy-rich Qatar faces fast-rising climate risks at home

World Cup host Qatar sits in a region that is warming faster than anywhere else on earth besides the Arctic. The wealthy Gulf Arab nation has been able to pay for extreme adaptive measures so far like outdoor air-conditioning to mitigate the effects of rising temperatures in some areas. Qatar has inched forward in recent years with climate pledges. But the transition away from hydrocarbons will not be simple for one of the world's largest producers and exporters of natural gas.

Fire sends smoke over Doha skyline during World Cup in Qatar

Qatari authorities say a fire has broken out at an under-construction building in a newly built city where a World Cup match is set to be played Saturday evening but caused no injuries.Qatar's Interior Ministry says the fire started just after noon local time on an island that's part of the city of Lusail, which is hosting several games during the tournament, including a match between Argentina and Mexico late Saturday. The blaze was about 3.5 kilometers (2 miles) from Lusail Stadium. It sent thick black smoke into the sky, which was visible from a marketplace in central Doha as World Cup fans milled among its shops and restaurants.

Japan aims for World Cup knockout stage against Costa Rica

Japan could reach the round of 16 at the World Cup with a victory over Costa Rica in the second Group E match for both teams. Japan upset Germany in its opener 2-1. Costa Rica lost to Spain 7-0. This is Japan's seventh straight appearance at the World Cup. It has advanced three times to the round of 16, and lost each time. The most recent was a 3-2 loss in second-half stoppage time to Belgium in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Japan's goal this time is to get to the quarterfinals.

Herdman's inspiration try at World Cup provokes Croatia

Canada coach John Herdman attempted to inspire his players after a 1-0 loss to Belgium in his nation's first World Cup match in 36 years. His televised comments may have served to provoke Croatia, the losing finalist in 2018. Croatia's 24 Sata (24 Hours) tabloid ran a fullpage photo of a naked Herdman with Maple Leaf flags over his mouth and private parts and a headline that translated to: "You have the mouth, but do you have the (guts) as well?" Canada and Croatia, which opened with a 0-0 draw against Morocco, play Sunday.

Flashes of Arab unity at World Cup after years of discontent

and as regional tensions, religious differences and renewed economic competition between countries resume.