Saudi Arabia Seeks to Repeat Argentina World Cup ‘Miracle’ Against Spain

Saudi Arabia national football team head coach Georgios Donis attends a press conference in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Saturday, 20 June 2026. (EPA)
Saudi Arabia national football team head coach Georgios Donis attends a press conference in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Saturday, 20 June 2026. (EPA)
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Saudi Arabia Seeks to Repeat Argentina World Cup ‘Miracle’ Against Spain

Saudi Arabia national football team head coach Georgios Donis attends a press conference in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Saturday, 20 June 2026. (EPA)
Saudi Arabia national football team head coach Georgios Donis attends a press conference in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Saturday, 20 June 2026. (EPA)

Saudi Arabia coach Georgios Donis said his side cannot show Spain too much respect as they aim to repeat a shock victory over eventual winners Argentina at the 2022 World Cup.

Spain are under pressure to bounce back from a 0-0 draw against World Cup debutants Cape Verde, but face a Saudi side that themselves held Uruguay to a 1-1 draw in their opening game.

Donis only took charge of the 2034 World Cup hosts in April after short-lived reigns for Roberto Mancini and Herve Renard.

It was Renard who oversaw the famous win over Lionel Messi's Argentina in Qatar during his first spell as Saudi boss and Donis is hoping those memories can inspire a similar outcome in Atlanta on Sunday.

"It's nice to have miracles in football and we've seen it many times. We've seen it in the World Cup, we've seen it in other tournaments, we've seen favorites losing against underdogs," the Greek coach said at his pre-match press conference.

"It's great to have great memories in our national team such as the game against Argentina.

"We have to play against one of the best teams in the world and it's very important when you get to this sort of tournament and you have this sort of joy of playing against these teams to be able to enjoy those games, to respect the opponent but also not to respect them more than you should."

Spain's inability to break down the Cape Verdean defense highlighted La Roja's reliance on the brilliance of Lamine Yamal.

The 18-year-old only featured as a second half substitute as he is eased back to fitness after a hamstring injury.

Yamal is expected to take his place in the starting line-up on Sunday, even though he is not yet ready to play 90 minutes.

Donis hailed the Barcelona winger as the "biggest talent" in world football right now and did not hold back in recognizing that Spain are less effective without him.

"Spain is not the same team when Yamal is on the bench," added Donis.

"I think Yamal is maybe this period the biggest talent in the world. I think he started to replace Messi in Barcelona in the best way.

"I didn't see a player at this age to make this difference and to have this quality and to play with this maturity.

"For me the most important is not about the skills, but about the maturity and he knows what he can do every moment and that is the biggest difference."



Japan Stroll to Victory Over Tunisia in World Cup’s 1,000th Game

 Japan's Ayase Ueda (18) celebrates scoring their fourth goal during the World Cup Group F soccer match between Tunisia and Japan in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP)
Japan's Ayase Ueda (18) celebrates scoring their fourth goal during the World Cup Group F soccer match between Tunisia and Japan in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP)
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Japan Stroll to Victory Over Tunisia in World Cup’s 1,000th Game

 Japan's Ayase Ueda (18) celebrates scoring their fourth goal during the World Cup Group F soccer match between Tunisia and Japan in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP)
Japan's Ayase Ueda (18) celebrates scoring their fourth goal during the World Cup Group F soccer match between Tunisia and Japan in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP)

Japan marked the 1,000th game in the history of the World Cup with a 4-0 thrashing of Tunisia on Saturday to close in on a place in the last 32.

Ayase Ueda scored twice while Daichi Kamada and Junya Ito were also on target as the Asian giants joined the Netherlands on four points at the top of Group F.

Tunisia, who were thumped 5-1 by Sweden in their first game of the tournament, can no longer hope for a place in the knockout rounds.

The Blue Samurai, who held the Netherlands to a 2-2 draw in their Group F opener, were always in control against Tunisia at the Monterrey Stadium.

The result marked a losing start for new Tunisia manager Herve Renard, who was hastily appointed to take over the World Cup campaign after predecessor Sabri Lamouchi was sacked in the wake of the Sweden drubbing.

But Renard's team never looked like threatening a technically superior Japanese side that were quickly into their trademark, smooth passing game.

Daichi Kamada opened the scoring after just four minutes, finishing from close range after deft interplay from Ao Tanaka and Keito Nakamura.

The Japanese almost scored again moments later, with only a desperate goal line clearance from Dylan Bronn denying the Asian giants a second goal.

Tunisia goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen was also working overtime, and had to claw away a shot that just went agonizingly short of crossing the goal line.

Japan though finally added to their tally in the 31st minute, with striker Ueda taking advantage of some hesitant Tunisian defending to surge forward and thunder a low shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

The rout continued in the second half, with Junya Ito latching onto a brilliant through ball to calmly finish on 69 minutes before Ueda scored again with a looping header in the 83rd minute.


Nagelsmann Says Germany Has Higher Ambitions Than Advancing to Knockout Stage

Julian Nagelsmann, head coach of Germany, is seen before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E match between Germany and Cote D'Ivoire at Toronto Stadium on June 20, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. (Getty Images/AFP)
Julian Nagelsmann, head coach of Germany, is seen before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E match between Germany and Cote D'Ivoire at Toronto Stadium on June 20, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Nagelsmann Says Germany Has Higher Ambitions Than Advancing to Knockout Stage

Julian Nagelsmann, head coach of Germany, is seen before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E match between Germany and Cote D'Ivoire at Toronto Stadium on June 20, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. (Getty Images/AFP)
Julian Nagelsmann, head coach of Germany, is seen before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E match between Germany and Cote D'Ivoire at Toronto Stadium on June 20, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. (Getty Images/AFP)

Coach Julian Nagelsmann was thrilled by Germany's comeback victory against Ivory Coast on Saturday, but stopped short of celebrating his side advancing to the World Cup knockout stage for the first time since 2014.

"We have high ambitions," Nagelsmann said when asked by AFP if booking a place in the next round was something to celebrate.

"The most important topic for us is to focus on the next step," he said.

Germany failed to get out of the group stage both at Russia 2018 and four years ago in Qatar.

Saturday's dramatic win, secured in extra time with a second goal from substitute Deniz Undav, guarantees the Germans will advance and snaps a streak of bitter World Cup disappointment for the four-time winners.

"This is exactly what we hoped for and I'm very happy for me team," Nagelsmann said.

He said that after his two-goal performance, Undav could make the starting 11 in Germany's third group stage match against Ecuador, but also stressed that the Stuttgart forward was thriving as a substitute.

"I could have him in the starting lineup," Nagelsmann said. "I think that every player would love to be in the starting lineup, but I think he's very happy as it is right now."

Franck Kessie put Ivory Coast ahead in the first half but the African side was largely on the defensive in the second half, ultimately unable to withstand the relentless German pressure.

But the Elephants remain in a strong position to advance and could book Ivory Coast's first ever ticket to the World Cup knockout with a decisive win over Curacao next week.

"We still have everything to play for," said Ivorian coach Emerse Fae.

"I'm really happy with the performance of my players during these 90 minutes... I think we had two teams that deserve to win," he added.

"Our primary objective is to get out of the group phase."


Ivory Coast Looks to Put Germany Loss at World Cup in Rearview Mirror

Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group E - Germany v Ivory Coast - Toronto Stadium, Toronto, Canada - June 20, 2026 Ivory Coast's Amad Diallo in action. (Reuters)
Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group E - Germany v Ivory Coast - Toronto Stadium, Toronto, Canada - June 20, 2026 Ivory Coast's Amad Diallo in action. (Reuters)
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Ivory Coast Looks to Put Germany Loss at World Cup in Rearview Mirror

Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group E - Germany v Ivory Coast - Toronto Stadium, Toronto, Canada - June 20, 2026 Ivory Coast's Amad Diallo in action. (Reuters)
Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group E - Germany v Ivory Coast - Toronto Stadium, Toronto, Canada - June 20, 2026 Ivory Coast's Amad Diallo in action. (Reuters)

If Ivory Coast wins its next match, Saturday's loss won’t matter.

After surrendering two second-half goals to Germany and missing the chance to clinch a knockout stage berth for the first time in its four World Cup appearances, Ivory Coast turns its attention to its last group stage match against Curacao on Thursday.

Win, and the Elephants are in.

Forward Amad Diallo said he and his teammates will get over the Germany loss. They have to.

“We (have) respect for ourselves, but we want to make history for Côte d’Ivoire, and we (are) going to go there with good mentality and try to live again,” he said.

Ivory Coast seemed one step ahead of Germany throughout the first half Saturday and a chunk of the second, with midfielder Franck Kessié’s first-half goal silencing German fans for a long stretch.

But the German side of the sold-out crowd erupted when Deniz Undav scored the winning goal, his second of the match, leaving Ivory Coast fans hanging their heads.

The team seemed a little shocked as well, and players spoke about the pain of losing a match they felt they should have won.

Still, the good news for Ivory Coast is that its next opponent, Curacao, is No. 83 in FIFA’s international team rankings, well down the list from the 31st-ranked Ivory Coast. The Caribbean nation also lost its first match to Germany, 7-1.

“It’s going to be a big moment for everyone, for this new generation, because we know we have quality in the team,” Diallo said. “But the priority now is we are really focused on ourselves. It’s going to be a very hard game.”