LIONEL Messi starred on his 1000th career game as Argentina edged Australia 2-1 to set up a quarter-final with the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup.

The first half was a slow affair with both sides struggling to get on the ball and create any concrete chances. Argentina lacked urgency and intensity, Australia lacked creativity in attacking areas.

But a moment of magic from Messi sparked the game into life on 35 minutes. He played a cute give-and-go before finding a yard of space to stroke a trademark low finish into the bottom corner. The goal from Messi was the only shot on target for either side in what was a lacklustre first half of football.

Argentina scored their second following a moment of madness from Mat Ryan. After a heavy touch the Australia goalkeeper tried to take it past two Argentina players but Julian Alvarez was on hand to pinch it and guide it into the back of the net.

Australia managed to pull one back 13 minutes from time, Craig Goodwin fired a shot from distance that was going well wide before taking a wicked deflection off Enzo Fernandez and ending up in the back of the net.

Just a few minutes later they nearly had an equaliser, Aziz Behich embarked on a Messi-esque run, jinking past several Argentina players and into the box before Lisandro Martinez came in with a superb last-ditch tackle.

Australia teenager Garang Kuol almost sent the game into extra time in the dying seconds but Emi Martinez reacted brilliantly to smother his shot as Argentina held on.

BRAZIL’S team doctor says there is a chance that Neymar could feature in their last-16 clash with South Korea as he continues his recovery from injury.

The PSG forward injured his ankle in Brazil’s opening win over Serbia but Rodrigo Lesmar believes “there is a possibility” he could return for the first knockout round. Brazil face South Korea on Monday, with the winner taking on Japan or Croatia.

Neymar could play against South Korea in the last 16 of the World Cup, according to Brazil doctor Rodrigo Lasmar.

The Selecao forward, along with team-mate Danilo, picked up an injury in his country’s opening game against Serbia, putting his involvement for the rest of the tournament in doubt.

Alex Sandro also suffered a problem in the subsequent game against Switzerland.

“Regarding Neymar and Alex Sandro, we think we have time on our hands and there is a possibility,” said team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar.

“Let’s wait what their transition will be – they have still not started to practice with the ball and it’s something they will do tomorrow. It will be important to see how they respond to this new style, so depending on that, we will make a call.

“Danilo has been evolving very positively and today he did intense work with the ball and has adapted functionally very positively. The expectation is tomorrow he will be able to train normally with all players.

DENZEL Dumfries scored and provided two assists as he fired the Netherlands into the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup with a 3-1 victory against the United States.

The USA started the match well, with a lot of energy to blitz the Dutch. Christian Pulisic had an early chance in the second minute after Tyler Adams flicked a ball over the top, but the Chelsea forward’s shot prompted a fantastic save from Andries Noppert with his foot.

The opening goal came against the run of play after some well-worked build-up from the Dutch. The ball ended up with Dumfries who was able to pull the ball back for Memphis Depay, who sent a first-time shot into the back of the net.

The second half saw the USA try to get back into it, and nine minutes after coming on, Haji Wright flicked in a remarkable accidental looping goal with his back heel. After the deficit was cut to one, the US had newfound energy about them and continued to push the Dutch in search for an equaliser.

SENEGAL must stick to their attacking principles to beat England in the last 16 of the World Cup on Sunday, according to former international Omar Daf.

Yet Daf wants the Teranga Lions to play on the front foot despite facing attacking talents including Marcus Rashford, who has three goals in Qatar, and 2018 golden boot winner Harry Kane.

“Senegal are the African champions so we must continue to be ambitious,” the 45-year-old, part of the Senegal squad which reached the last eight of the 2002 tournament in Japan and South Korea, told BBC Sport Africa.

“Tactically, we will have to be very strong to beat this English team.

“The English are complete defensively, in the middle and even in terms of their offensive animation. But we have the weapons to continue this adventure.”

The winners of the game on Sunday (19:00 GMT) will face either defending champions France or Poland in the quarter-finals.

Senegal’s current squad are looking to match the side from 20 years ago and reach the last eight in what is their first-ever meeting with England.

“Even in the absence of Sadio, which is a big loss for us, we learned to reorganize and play differently,” Daf, now manager of French Ligue 2 club Dijon, added.

“All the players are capable of scoring and being dangerous so we must rely on this collective to win this match.”

Gabriel Jesus will miss the rest of the World Cup, sources close to the player and Brazil have confirmed.

He reportedly has pain in his knee and won’t be able to be back during the competition.

The Arsenal’s striker had his first start of the tournament on Match day 3 after coming off the bench in Brazil’s opening two encounters.

However, Jesus struggled to perform as he was hauled off just after the hour.

Read Also: Gabriel Jesus holds Arsenal medical ahead £45m move

Fabrizo Romano tweeted: “sources close to Brazil and the player” have confirmed that Jesus will miss the rest of the World Cup as a result of his knee injury. The striker’s also set to miss Arsenal’s first couple of fixtures after the Premier League returns on Boxing Day.

The Arsenal player with 97 goals and assists to his name in his premier league career is now out for the rest of the year due to injury.

Inspirational Adams: USA’s leader on & off pitch

Christian Pulisic may have the “Captain America” nickname, but there is no doubt about who is the USA’s leader at the World Cup.

From the moment he was named skipper by US coach Gregg Berhalter on the eve of the tournament, Tyler Adams has been an inspirational captain – on and off the pitch.

The 23-year-old defensive midfielder was arguably the key figure in the USA’s journey into the last 16, where they will face Holland today  at Doha’s Khalifa Stadium.

In Tuesday’s nerve-shredding 1-0 win over Iran – the Leeds midfielder was a towering presence, a beacon of calm authority in a game that ended with the Americans under siege.

“His leadership has been vital to us from day one,” Berhalter said. “In this World Cup, he’s been extremely focused and his play has been outstanding over the course of these three games. He’s been performing lights out.

“When you start talking about captain types, Tyler fits a very specific role. He’s the general, he’s the strategist. He’s the guy that goes out there and leads by example. When he talks, people listen.”

Before Adams was named as captain, the armband had been rotated through several players, with Berhalter preferring to nurture a “leadership council” including the likes of Pulisic, Walker Zimmerman, Weston McKennie and DeAndre Yedlin, rather than a single captain.

When the time came settle on a skipper for the World Cup, Berhalter decided to outsource the decision to his squad in a one-player, one-vote ballot at the team’s hotel in Doha’s Pearl district. Adams was the overwhelming choice.

“He has the heart of a lion,” US defender Aaron Long said of Adams. “I think he shows that everywhere he goes. He is a key, key part of this team for what he brings on the field and what he brings off the field.

“He is an amazing guy and an amazing player.”

Adams, who began his career with the New York Red Bulls before joining the Bundesliga’s RB Leipzig in 2019, says his captaincy is driven by a desire for accountability.

“I’m very competitive and try to hold the people around me to the same standard,” he said. “I don’t want to lose and have to point the finger and say ‘You let me down today’.

“I want to make sure everyone is on the same page intensity-wise, no frustration. I think I’ve been doing that since a young age.”

Berhalter said  simply that Adams inspires loyalty.

“He leads by his actions and his words. Team-mates know exactly what they’re going to get from him,” Berhalter said. “They know he’s going to go out on the field and compete.

“Tyler’s just a guy that is mature beyond his years and you notice that as soon as you start talking to him.”

Nowhere was that maturity more evident than in Monday’s pre-match press conference ahead of the Iran game.

An Iranian journalist castigated Adams for mispronouncing Iran, before asking him how he felt, as an African-American, to be representing a country “that has so much discrimination against Black people”.

Adams dealt with the question as deftly as he has been snuffing out opposition attacks on the field during this World Cup, defusing a potentially awkward moment with a composed answer.

“There’s discrimination everywhere you go,” Adams replied. “One thing that I’ve learned, especially from living abroad in the past few years and having to fit in and kind of assimilate into different cultures, is that in the US we’re continuing to make progress every single day.

“Not everyone has that, that ease and the ability to do that, and obviously it takes longer for some to understand. Through education, I think it’s super important. Like you just educated me now on the pronunciation of your country.”

Spain deliberately lost to Japan in order to avoid Brazil in the quarter-finals, Mexico World Cup legend Hugo Sanchez has suggested.

The former Real Madrid forward who played in three World Cups for Mexico was asked by an ESPN presenter: “You are assuring me that Spain looked for this result to avoid Brazil?”

And as reported by Diario AS the former striker said: “I assure you. I was not there and I’m not in the mind of Luis Enrique but he had thought about what was the best way to avoid playing Brazil in the quarter-finals. Yes there is a risk but it’s a risk worth taking. It’s not that they fear Brazil but they respect them.”

When fellow pundits raised eyebrows at the suggestion Sanchez added: “The coach is never going to admit it. Managers don’t say: “I let them win”.”

The claim is not being taken seriously in Spain especially in view of the controversial way the team went behind against Japan and their desperate – albeit failed – attempts to get back into the game.

Luis Enrique was asked before the game about Spain losing to Japan to secure second spot but he flagged up the possibility of Costa Rica winning saying: “We have asked ourselves that question but from a professional point of view you can imagine it being 0-0 in both games on minute 95 and Japan score and Costa Rica score and we’re out.”

That was briefly the scenario in the second half although the Spain coach said he was unaware of the three minutes when results as they stood meant Spain where third in the group and going home.

Daichi Kamada, Maya Yoshida and Japan’s Bundesliga core that stunned Germany and Spain at the World Cup revealed.

Germany took on Japan in their World Cup opener and came unstuck against a team boasting eight Bundesliga-based players, with Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano stunning their adopted home country.

There’s no getting around it; the Samurai Blue spine has been very much shaped by the Bundesliga. Not even Japan’s top-tier is better represented than its Germany counterpart, with seven Bundesliga players – and another from Bundesliga 2 – outstripping the J-League’s six.

That includes captain Maya Yoshida (Schalke), as well as stalwarts Wataru Endo (VfB Stuttgart) and Daichi Kamada (Eintracht Frankfurt), who all started the 2-1 come-from-behind win against Hansi Flick’s side in their Group E opener.

Freiburg’s Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano of Bochum came off the bench to score the second-half goals, with an assist from Ko Itakura of Borussia Monchengladbach for the latter’s winner. Ao Tanaka (Fortuna Dusseldorf) was called up from the division below and started in midfield alongside Endo, whose Stuttgart club mate Hiroki Ito was an unused sub. Japan repeated the trick against Spain in a gripping group-stage finale on 1 December. After going behind to Alvaro Morata’s opener, second-half goals from Doan and Tanaka turned the tables on La Roja to go through to the last 16 as section winners.

And it is by no means a surprise given the long-standing link between the Bundesliga and Japanese football, even if numbers have increased at a rapid rate in recent years.

Yasuhiko Okudera was the first to make the journey from Japan to Germany in 1977 when he signed for Cologne, and he was followed by Kazuo Ozaki in 1983.

It was at the turn of the millennium that things started to ramp up, with the likes of Naohiro Takahara, Junichi Inamoto and Shinji Kagawa all following suit.

The arrival of Makoto Hasebe – who alongside Genki Haraguchi completes the list of current Japanese players plying their trade at the top of the German pyramid – in 2008 was possibly the most significant, with the now 38-year-old currently on 362 Bundesliga appearances and counting.

A Bundesliga champion with Wolfsburg in just his second season led to further success in the DFB Cup a decade later with Frankfurt, with whom he lifted the UEFA Europa League title just last season.

Kamada, who converted in Frankfurt’s victorious penalty in that triumphant Europa League final shootout against Rangers – is quite possibly Hasebe’s heir apparent for both club and country, and the 26-year-old believes that German football has greatly benefited Japan’s national team.

“There are a lot of Japanese players in the Bundesliga now and I think we’re on an equal footing with them [the German national team] now,” he told AFP.

“When I first arrived in the Bundesliga from Japan, I was playing against players from Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. But when I was playing in Japan, there were only one or two players from the Japan national team over there.

“It was strange to be playing against players I had only watched on TV before, but I think it has a big effect on us mentally to be sharing the same stage as them.”

Not only that, but the fact Kamada has the numbers to back up his words also play a big psychological role. The 26-year-old has been one of the Bundesliga’s star performers so far this season, hitting seven goals and three assists in 13 appearances. Only a handful of players across Germany’s top fight have had more direct goal involvements than him in 2022/23.

“I think it’s good that we understand German, for set plays and so on,” Kamada continued. “It is definitely a plus to have the experience of playing with such players and knowing their characteristics.”

Yoshida, who made the move from Serie A’s Sampdoria to Schalke over the summer, says that his transfer to the Bundesliga was – at least in part – strategically planned with the World Cup in mind.

“Many things influenced my decision to play in Germany and the opportunity to learn about [our group stage] opponent was among them,” the 34-year-old veteran of 122 international caps told The Japan News ahead of participating at his third World Cup.

“More than 80,00 fans filled Dortmund’s stadium in this season’s Revierderby. When I saw the Yellow Wall behind the goal I thought, ‘this is why I came to Germany’. In tight games like that one against Dortmund, you can be in a situation where one positional error could decide the match. I feel like I’m learning a lot in Germany.

“I feel happy that I’d made the switch to the Bundesliga. You can’t sharpen your skills unless you’re in that kind of high-pressure situation. Our chances of winning the match [against Germany] are definitely not zero, and the first game is always difficult for every team.”

The fact that Japan’s Bundesliga core runs through the team in a variety of positions should stand them in good stead too, giving them experience all over the pitch. Yoshida, Itakura and Ito are all defenders; Kamada, Endo and Tanaka are midfielders; Doan is an attack-minded winger and Asano a forward.

All of which has given Japan confidence in their seventh consecutive World Cup tournament. The Samurai Blue have never previously progressed further than the round of 16, but are aiming to go one step further in Qatar. “Our objective is to get to the quarter-finals at the very least,” said head coach Hajime Moriyasu. “We know it won’t be easy.”

Having beaten previous champions Germany and Spain already, and given Japan’s solid Bundesliga foundation, anything is possible.

• Courtesy Bundeslia.com

Senegal will play England in the World Cup last 16 but have been hit with a fine just before they take on the Three Lions in Qatar.

Aliou Cisse’s side booked their place in the second round – for only the second time in their history – by winning two group games against Qatar and Ecuador.

They reached the quarter-final in 2002, losing to Turkey, however, before they take to the pitch in this year’s edition, they find themselves filling FIFA’s coffers for the fact that manager Aliou Cisse attended his pre-match press conference before his side’s clash against Ecuador on his own.

Read Also: Captain fantastic Koulibaly sends Senegal to last 16

The football governing body’s rules say that prior to a match, two figures from a team must take part in press conference duties – one player alongside the head coach.

For not doing this, Senegal’s FA are being forced to hand over £8,700.

A statement from FIFA read: “The Fifa Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned the Senegalese Football Federation with a fine in the amount of CHF 10,000 and a warning for breaches of article 44 of the Regulations for the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 article 2.7.2 of the Media and Marketing Regulations and article 8.5.3 of the Team Handbook.”

This isn’t the first time FIFA has fined a nation for failing to follow media rules: Germany got the same treatment prior to their clash against Spain last week when Hansi Flick attended a press conference without a player from his squad.