World Cup Daily: USA controls its fate after draw vs. England
The United States men's national team controls its fate entering the final round of group play despite failing to capitalize on its chances against England on Friday at Al Bayt Stadium.
Here's everything that happened at the World Cup on Friday and what to expect Saturday.
Iran got its first win against a European team at the World Cup by scoring two goals in extra time. Iran had been pressuring all game, taking 21 shots to Wales' 10, but when Dragons goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey was sent off in the 86th minute for a poorly timed challenge well outside his box, the floodgates opened. Hennessey is just third keeper to be sent off in a World Cup game.
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Wales' Wayne Hennessey was assessed a red card after a nasty out-of-the-box collision against Iran's Mehdi Taremi in the 86th minute.
Iran's destiny is now in its own hands. A victory over the United States on Tuesday (2 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app) would send Iran to the group stage for the time in history; however, anything less would make it reliant on the England-Wales result.
Suffice to say, the U.S. should be prepared for Iran to go for all three points.
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Iran was able to capitalize late after goals by Roozbeh Cheshmi and Ramin Rezaeian in stoppage time.
Senegal got back on track after its 2-0 loss to the Netherlands on Monday, but it came at the expense of the host nation, which was eliminated from the tournament with Friday's result and the draw between the Netherlands and Ecuador. Qatar is the first host nation to be knocked out in its second game of the group stage match.
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Three goals match the most Senegal has ever scored in a World Cup match.
The Netherlands should have no problem getting past Qatar and advancing to the knockout stage based on what we've seen in both its matches. The real matchup of consequence is Senegal-Ecuador (10 a.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app). With Ecuador just one point clear of Senegal, it needs a win or a draw to avoid getting eliminated.
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Enner Valencia recorded his sixth group stage goal since the 2014 World Cup, tying Messi and Ronaldo.
The United States had England on its heels for most of Friday's match, but Gregg Berhalter's side came just a few inches short of pulling off an upset against the mighty Three Lions.
The Americans did get a point, though, which means that a win against Iran will put them through to the knockout stage no matter what happens in England-Wales. It truly is "win or go home" for the young Americans.
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The Americans had their chances against England, but couldn't break through.
GOAL OF THE DAY
The dagger in Iran's win vs. Wales was an absolute beauty.
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Ramin Rezaeian scores Iran's second goal in stoppage time to lift Iran to the victory.
SAVE OF THE DAY
England's Mason Mount sent a powerful shot toward the United States' goal, but Matt Turner dove on the ground to block it out of bounds. It was ultimately the difference between a loss and a draw for the U.S.
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Matt Turner saves a wicked shot off England's Mason Mount late in the first half to hold a 0-0 tie at halftime for the United States.
MUST-SEE MOMENT
Before Iran's late burst, it had the worst luck in front of goal. Nothing illustrates that more than the sequence in which it hit the post on back-to-back shot attempts. That's the type of stuff you typically only see in video games.
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Iran misses multiple opportunities to score after making an unreal triple shot sequence by Sardar Azmoun and Ali Gholizadeh in the 52nd minute against Wales.
Fortunately for Iran, it kept its confidence and found the back of the net not once, but twice in the final 10 minutes of the game.
Tunisia vs. Australia, 5 a.m. ET on FS1
Australia is the only team in Group D without a point. The good news for the Socceroos is everyone but France only has one point, so a win would put them right back in the mix for a spot in the knockout round. Alternatively, a loss would knock them out of the tournament, even in the event of a massive upset vs. France.
Poland vs. Saudi Arabia, 8 a.m. ET on FS1
Saudi Arabia shocked the world when it beat Lionel Messi's Argentina 2-1 in its group stage opener on Tuesday. A win against Robert Lewandowski's Poland on Saturday wouldn't be as big of an upset, but it would secure its place in the knockout stage, which no one could have predicted going into the tournament.
France vs. Denmark, 11 a.m. ET on FS1
Denmark can re-establish itself as one of the dark horses to go far in the tournament with a positive result against one of the favorites to win it all, France. It would also put them in a good position going into its final group stage match against Australia on Wednesday (10 a.m. ET on *FS1 and the FOX Sports app).
Argentina vs. Mexico, 2 p.m. ET on FS1
Argentina's path to the knockout stage goes through Mexico. No matter what happens in Poland vs. Saudi Arabia earlier in the day — or Saudi Arabia vs. Mexico on Wednesday — it needs a result vs. Mexico. From here on, the only results that matter to Argentina are the games it plays in.
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Read more from the World Cup:
- USA should get major confidence boost from 0-0 draw with England
- USA outplays England, but can't find the net in draw
- USA-England highlights
- USA-England social media reaction
- Clint Dempsey advised Christian Pulisic on how to get through tough times
- How the USMNT restored its culture
- Why young USMNT roster isn't sweating a lack of World Cup experience
- Get to know the USMNT's 26-man World Cup roster
- How to watch every game of the 2022 World Cup