馃嚦馃嚞NigeriaWest Africa
USA advances to World Cup last 32, Brazil eliminates Haiti, Morocco defeats Scotland
via Punch Nigeria3 min read
The United States secured a spot in the World Cup's last 32 after a 2-0 victory over Australia. An own goal by Cameron Burgess and a header from Alex Freeman sealed the win for Mauricio Pochettino's side, who have now advanced with a game remaining. Australia's coach Tony Popovic attributed the loss to "lethargy." In other matches, Brazil defeated Haiti 3-0, eliminating the Caribbean nation from contention. Matheus Cunha scored two goals and Vinicius Junior added another for Brazil. However, Brazil's victory was overshadowed by an apparent injury to Raphinha. Morocco achieved their first tournament win, beating Scotland 1-0 with a goal from Ismael Saibari. Brazil and Morocco are now level on points in Group C, with Brazil leading on goal difference. Scotland's John McGinn acknowledged the challenge of their upcoming match against Brazil. Off the field, Hedayat Mombeyni, secretary general of the Iranian football federation, criticized Iran's treatment at the World Cup, stating that travel restrictions were jeopardizing the team's performance. Iran's request to fly from Tijuana to Los Angeles two days before their match against Belgium was reportedly denied.
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Haiti and T眉rkiye have been knocked out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage after suffering defeats on Friday. In Philadelphia, Brazil secured a 3-0 victory over Haiti in Group C, with goals from Matheus Cunha and Vinicius Jr. This result leaves Haiti at the bottom of Group C with zero points from two matches, ending their chances of advancing. Their final group game against Morocco on June 24 will be a dead rubber. In Group D, T眉rkiye experienced a narrow 1-0 defeat to Paraguay at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. Matias Galarza scored the fastest goal of the tournament so far, netting after just 64 seconds. Despite late pressure and a red card for Paraguay, T眉rkiye could not find an equalizer. This loss leaves T眉rkiye with two defeats from two games and no points, confirming their elimination with one match remaining. Haiti returned to the World Cup for the first time since 1974, while T眉rkiye's campaign ended prematurely.
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