need to know
The latest headlines from four World Cup games overnight, including Marcelo Bielsa’s new rant, Manuel Ugarte’s injury and the latest playing conditions for the last 32.
Uruguay’s Marcelo Bielsa was furious in his post-match interview after losing to Spain in the World Cup (Image: X)
Here’s everything you need to know about what happened overnight at the World Cup, where seven teams were confirmed to advance to the knockout stages…
Immediately after Uruguay’s World Cup exit, Marcelo Bielsa was furious. During one interview, he let out a pretty terrifying scream at a journalist asking him a question. The 70-year-old ultimately took responsibility for the team’s poor performance in the tournament. He said bluntly: “Journalists and fans of Uruguayan football are rightly trying to put the blame on me. I am responsible and I have to accept it.” In the 1-0 defeat against Spain, Manuel Ugarte was forced off with a knee injury. Manchester United are expected to sell the midfielder this summer, but plans are likely to change if he is out for an extended period of time. Fernando Muslera was also absent from the Uruguay squad, as it was revealed that Bielsa’s mistake led to a request for the veteran goalkeeper’s dismissal. The Round of 32 is now starting to take shape with Spain, Cape Verde, Belgium and Egypt joining the teams already in the next round. Alex Baena’s goal helped the European champions win Group H. Cape Verde finished in second place and made history. A brace from Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard helped Belgium beat New Zealand 5-1 to take top of their group, while Egypt drew with Iran to take second place, after which Iran moved into third place. The latter face a tense situation as to whether they will make it to the top eight for third place after their last goal was ruled out for offside. England, Portugal, Paraguay and Ghana also advanced without playing games. As it became mathematically impossible for any team to be eliminated as one of the four worst teams in third place, it was decided to divide the teams into groups. Paraguay vs. Germany and Cape Verde vs. Argentina are also scheduled, and additional matches for the Round of 32 have also been confirmed. Scotland are lagging behind, but are still going strong after the latest results. Steve Clarke’s side now have to play out very specific scenarios, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo failing to beat Uzbekistan and Ghana beating Croatia by more than three goals. Read more – World Cup Live: Cape Verde make history, FIFA request rejected, Scotland’s qualification increased
