DOHA, Qatar – England missed a chance to book their place in the World Cup last 16 as Gareth Southgate’s side produced a limp display in their 0-0 draw against the United States.
Ecuador striker Enner Valencia scored a World Cup-best third goal in a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands that eliminated host nation Qatar from the tournament.
Iran scored two goals in second-half stoppage time to hand Wales a devastating 2-0 loss in Group B action at the World Cup in Qatar.
Roozbeh Cheshmi broke the deadlock in the 98th minute and Ramin Rezaeian scored in the 101st against a 10-man Welsh squad, which lost goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey to a red card in the 86th minute.
Hennessey initially drew a yellow card after his high challenge against Mehdi Taremi, but the referee showed him the red card after a VAR check.
With three points going into Tuesday’s game against the United States, Iran has a shot at advancing to the World Cup knockout stages for the first time.
Senegal 3, Qatar 1
Senegal helped Qatar become the first team ousted from the World Cup. The host nation’s 3-1 loss coupled with a Netherlands-Ecuador draw means Qatar cannot advance to the knockout stage from Group A.
Boulaye Dia put Senegal ahead at halftime with a goal in the 41st minute and Famara Diedhiou made it 2-0 with a header in the 48th.
Mohammed Muntari netted the first World Cup goal in Qatar’s history in the 78th minute, heading home a cross from Ismail Mohamad.
Senegal substitute Bamba Dieng restored the two-goal cushion in the 84th minute.
Netherlands 1, Ecuador 1
Enner Valencia’s third goal of the tournament helped Ecuador earn a draw with the Dutch in Group A, thereby eliminating host Qatar, Reuters reported.
Cody Gakpo put the Netherlands ahead with a quick strike in the sixth minute.
After having the apparent equalizer overturned by VAR just before the half, Valencia leveled the match in the 49th minute.
Valencia scored twice in a 2-0 win against Qatar in the opening match of the World Cup.
Netherlands and Ecuador are tied atop Group A with four points, with Senegal one point back in third place.
England 0-0 USA
England failed to roll over USA like they did against Qatar. For majority of the first half England struggled to create chances and it continued into the second half. England remained flat, moving the ball sideways.
A draw in their final group game against Wales on November 29 would ensure England progress to the knockout stages, while a victory would seal first place.
Southgate’s men would have been guaranteed to advance from Group B with a victory in their second game of the tournament, but they rarely troubled a determined US team.
Having thrashed Iran 6-2 on Monday, England lacked the urgency they showed in their opening game and were booed off at full-time.
They managed just one shot on target and could easily have conceded in the first half when the US was in control for long periods at the Al Bayt Stadium.
For the third time in three World Cup meetings with the US, England failed to live up to their status as favourites.
After a shocking defeat in the 1950 tournament and a 1-1 draw in 2010, this was another defiant American effort against England, cooling some of the hype around the Three Lions following the Iran rout.
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