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DOHA — There is arguably no more thrilling player at this World Cup than Kylian Mbappe, who leads France into its last-16 clash on Sunday with a Poland side whose own hopes of pulling off a famous upset will depend to a large extent on Robert Lewandowski.

It is a sobering thought that Mbappe, not 24 until later this month, may not yet be at the peak of his powers but he has already scored seven goals in 10 appearances at the World Cup.

That tally includes one in the 2018 final when he was still a teenager as France beat Croatia in Moscow.

His mission now is to help his country become the first to retain the World Cup since Brazil, with an even younger Pele, did so in 1962.

Mbappe has already scored three times in Qatar, including a brace in a 2-1 victory against Denmark that secured qualification for the last 16, and there is a belief he is thriving as the undisputed star of Didier Deschamps’ side.

The situation is different to that of Paris Saint-Germain, where he shares the limelight with Lionel Messi and Neymar, and in that sense it may be that Karim Benzema’s withdrawal due to injury on the eve of the tournament does no harm to French hopes.

“Kylian has no ego,” insisted Deschamps a few days ago, going against the perception of Mbappe in the context of PSG.

“He is a decisive player for us and his performances put him in the spotlight. He is not 18 anymore. He has experience now.”

It wasn’t just Mbappe — who now has as many international goals as Zinedine Zidane — that France missed as a second-string team lost 1-0 to Tunisia on Wednesday, a result that did not stop them topping their group.

He will be back along with the likes of Hugo Lloris, Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud as France and Poland meet at a major tournament for the first time since the 1982 World Cup.

‘Beyond reproach’

“Kylian is not the same player or person as in 2018,” said Griezmann on Friday when asked about Mbappe’s role in a squad hit by injuries to several key players before the tournament.

“He is much more a part of the squad now. He speaks a lot and has fun. He knows that the media, fans and even his teammates will be watching everything that he does but he is beyond reproach.”

France is clear favourites for Sunday’s game but there is the memory of what happened in the last 16 at last year’s European Championship, when Mbappe missed the crucial penalty in a shoot-out defeat to Switzerland.

Poland only just scraped through their group ahead of Mexico on goal difference and Lewandowski’s strike — his first World Cup goal — in the win over Saudi Arabia was therefore crucial.

“I’m aware it might be my last World Cup and I wanted to be able to say that I’ve played and scored at World Cups,” he said after that game.

The 34-year-old also got nine goals in qualifying and there is nobody else quite on his level in Czeslaw Michniewicz’s squad.

“We are happy because getting out of the group was our objective,” said defender Jakub Kiwior after the team trained on Friday.

Seeing Mbappe and Lewandowski together on the same pitch is a rare treat.

Two of the most prolific forwards in the modern game, they are nevertheless different types of striker — one all about explosive pace coming into the box from wide areas, and the other the ultimate penalty-box finisher now coming towards the end of his career.

Lewandowski left Bayern Munich for Barcelona in the last close season, but according to reports in France he might have ended up at PSG.

Le Parisien reported on Friday that PSG tried to convince Lewandowski to join them after tying Mbappe to a new contract in May.

PSG’s failure to sign Lewandowski or another top-class number nine was given as one reason why Mbappe was reportedly so unhappy at his club just a couple of months ago.

Those reports have since died down and his focus is on the World Cup, with Lewandowski now standing in his way.

England take on Senegal in the other match of the day.

DOHA — Rodrygo is the complete striker: the 21-year-old Brazilian can play on the left, the right, as a No.10 or as a false nine.

And after his decisive second-half performance against Switzerland on Monday he looks well-placed to finally earn his first start for the Selecao, maybe even in Neymar’s playmaker role.

Substitute Rodrygo set up Casemiro’s late goal in their 1-0 win against the Swiss, which followed a 2-0 victory against Serbia in their World Cup opener.

Brazil have already qualified for the last 16 ahead of Friday’s final Group G clash against Cameroon and coach Tite is likely to make changes, with Neymar still nursing an ankle injury sustained in their opening match.

Casemiro believes Rodrygo, who plays for Real Madrid, has the talent to be Brazil’s next big star.

“God gave him the gift of playing football. It’s beautiful watching him play,” the Manchester United midfielder, who used to play alongside Rodrygo at Madrid, said last week.

The five-time World Cup winners have an embarrassment of riches in the attacking department, even with Neymar injured and Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho left out of the squad.

Raphinha, Antony, Vinicius Junior, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Pedro and Richarlison are all providing competition for Rodrygo.

But the youngest player in Tite’s World Cup squad has one major advantage over the others.

“We’ve seen him playing as a false nine, a 10, the ‘Neymar” of Real Madrid, with the ability to play on the left and right,” Matheus Bachi, an assistant coach with Brazil, who is also Tite’s son, said recently.

“He’s a chameleon, but a chameleon who does all these functions very well.”

That versatility was evident when Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti started deploying Rodrygo in the centre of the attack this season alongside striker Karim Benzema, rather than using his pace on the flanks.

“He’s a special forward, he can play in every position. He’s quick, intelligent off the ball and effective one on one,” said Ancelotti.

Rodrygo has seven goals and five assists in 19 club matches this season.

His two late goals off the bench for Real in the Champions League semifinal against Manchester City last season turned the tie on its head and the Merengue went on to lift the trophy.

‘Very smart’

Rodrygo’s versatility was well known at his first club, Santos — the same team that produced Pele and Neymar. 

He played as a No. 10 in the academy but made his first team debut in 2017 on the left wing.

Neymar used to play on the left before he was moved into a more central position and back in 2017 Jair Ventura, who gave Rodrygo his Santos debut, decided to develop his abilities “on the right, in the centre and as a false nine,” he told ESPN in 2019.

That ability to play across the forward line has served Rodrygo well.

His performances soon alerted Real Madrid and he moved to Spain in 2019.

“He’s extremely professional and educated. He’s very smart, you explain something to him once and he understands it immediately,” said Ventura, the son of ex-player Jairzinho, a World Cup winner in 1970 alongside Pele.

Since his Brazil debut three years ago, Rodrygo has made nine appearances, but all as a substitute.

He scored one goal in a 4-0 World Cup qualifying win over Paraguay and now has one assist to his name too.

And he has no doubt that he could fill the void left by Neymar.

“I feel comfortable playing in every position up front. I’ve already played with the No.10 jersey in the junior categories but it’s only recently that [senior] coaches have started putting me there,” Rodrygo said recently.

“We already have our No. 10 here, Neymar, but who knows for the future.”

The future may be now.

DOHA — Belgium’s much vaunted team has one last chance to extend its final World Cup together this week after crashing to defeat by Morocco, with coach Roberto Martinez and his players under mounting pressure.

Anything other than victory against Croatia on Thursday could see the world’s second-ranked side heading home after the group stage.

Kevin De Bruyne said in an interview with The Guardian before the 2-0 loss to Morocco that his team was “too old” and had “no chance” of winning the World Cup.

Martinez insisted after the game that it might have been a “double bluff” from the Manchester City star, but if he was being serious, it would have been hard to disagree based on their performances in Qatar so far.

Spaniard Martinez has largely stuck by the experienced players who have reached at least the quarterfinals at each of the past four major tournaments.

In the game against Morocco and the fortunate 1-0 win over Canada, Belgium were overran, outpaced and offered no real threat going forward.

The absence of record goalscorer Romelu Lukaku through injury has been a blow, but even his introduction late on against Morocco was born of desperation and the Inter Milan man offered very little.

The last six years have provided the best spell of sustained success in Belgium’s history, with the third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup in Russia the closest the current team have come to lifting a major title.

Ten of the 14 players who featured in the semi-final loss to eventual winners France four years ago are still in the squad.

Seven of the starting XI against Morocco are in their 30s — Thibaut Courtois, Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Thomas Meunier, Axel Witsel, De Bruyne and captain Eden Hazard.

The Red Devils’ attacking style of play has vanished after cruising through qualifying unbeaten.

The Belgian press has been extremely critical of the team, with website HLN saying “there must be new blood”.

‘Nothing to lose’

Martinez believes that being in a last chance saloon will bring the best out of his ageing team.

“In the last game we have to play to win it and as if we have nothing to lose,” he said.

“If we win against Croatia we’re [still] in the World Cup and that’s a big motivation.”

On the eve of the Morocco defeat, Hazard also said he thought Belgium’s best chance of becoming world champions had been and gone.

There have been rumours of disharmony in the squad, with Vertonghen appearing to sarcastically hit out at the 31-year-old De Bruyne’s comments.

“A lot of things go through my mind now, but those are things that are best not said on camera,” he told broadcaster TV Sporza.

“Maybe also we attack badly because the guys [forwards] are too old.”

Martinez admitted his players were playing “without joy” and with a “fear of losing”, but he has left many bright, younger talents sitting on the bench.

Brighton’s Leandro Trossard, who has scored seven goals for Brighton in the Premier League this season, featured only as a second-half substitute against Canada and Morocco.

Hazard started both games, but is a shadow of the player he was before he left Chelsea for Real Madrid in 2019.

Veterans Vertonghen and Alderweireld, now playing their club football back home with Anderlecht and Antwerp respectively, have been preferred to in-form Leicester centre-back Wout Faes and Rennes’ Arthur Theate.

The 33-year-old Witsel has struggled in both matches, but the younger legs of Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana have yet to be united in midfield.

Martinez has indicated he will not make wholesale changes and said he only withdrew Hazard on the hour mark on Sunday — for the 35-year-old Dries Mertens — to keep him fresh for challenges to come.

Lose on Thursday, though, and it would be the end of an era for Belgian football.

DOHA — Mitch Duke was the goalscoring hero when Australia beat Tunisia to claim its first World Cup win in 12 years but nothing summed up the Socceroos’ performance in that game quite like the last-ditch goal-saving tackle from giant centre-back Harry Souttar.

Souttar was likened by one commentator to Superman as the hulking 1.98m-tall defender, put in a colossal display at Al Janoub Stadium, and clips of his brilliant challenge on Tunisia’s Taha Yassine Khenissi in that game have gone viral online.

It was not just the 24-year-old’s performance as Australia kept a first World Cup clean sheet since 1974 that was remarkable, but also the simple fact that he is in Qatar with Graham Arnold’s side.

Souttar spent a year on the sidelines after suffering a serious knee injury in a World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia.

He only just returned in the nick of time to play one game for his club Stoke City and make the Australian squad.

“I’ve only played three games so I don’t think I’m 100 per cent fit but I give 100 per cent in every game,” he said, but in any case the last year was especially trying for other reasons.

His elder brother Aaron died of motor neurone disease in July, putting everything into perspective for a player who was born in Aberdeen in Scotland.

His other brother John, who now plays for Rangers, chose to represent Scotland but Harry opted for Australia, for whom he was eligible through his mother.

It is a decision he clearly doesn’t regret and his performances in Qatar have also delighted John, even if he could be jealous of his sibling after Scotland failed to qualify.

“I spoke with him after the game and he’s delighted with me,” Harry said at Australia’s training base in Doha.

“We speak every day and we have become a lot closer over the past year.

“In terms of the Australia thing, I got the phone call and it was a very simple decision from my point of view, and it is probably the best decision I’ve ever made.”

The number of Australians with Scottish heritage is considerable and the Scottish influence is striking throughout the Socceroos’ squad.

As well as Souttar there is Jason Cummings, a striker who was capped for Scotland before opting to switch to Australia in time for the World Cup — he was eligible via his Perth-born mother.

Then there is Martin Boyle, an Aberdeen-born winger who plays in Scotland for Hibernian but whose father is from Down Under.

He would have been a key player in Qatar only to be struck down by a knee injury just before the tournament, although he has remained with the squad.

“We have moved him into the staff now as ‘OVM’ — Official Vibe Manager — to keep all the boys up, because he is just one of the most fantastic blokes you will meet in your life,” said Arnold.

Midfielder Jackson Irvine, whose father is Scottish, played for Scotland at youth international level and has played for four clubs there including Celtic, while goalkeeper Mathew Ryan’s mother is Scottish.

Their squad is also littered with players who ply their trade in Scotland, including Souttar’s centre-back partner Kye Rowles, of Hearts, and Celtic’s Aaron Mooy.

It is not insignificant that Mooy’s manager at Celtic is Ange Postecoglou, a revered figure in Australian football who coached the Socceroos at the 2014 World Cup.

“Ange is part of the reason,” said St Mirren’s Keanu Baccus when asked why so many Australians have ended up there.

“The door definitely opened for us to go there and showcase ourselves in a strong league and to improve and get better, and there are a lot of eyes on the game too.

“It is good for us as players and good for the national team.”

Not that it would be too wise a decision to seek inspiration from Scotland, who have been absent from the World Cup since 1998 and have never reached the knockout rounds at the finals.

That is Australia’s goal when it meets Denmark on Wednesday.

Also in Group D, Tunisia takes on France.

Poland plays Argentina while Saudi Arabia gos up against Mexico in Group B.

LOS ANGELES — Stephen Curry scored 25 points and the Golden State Warriors parlayed a hot start into a comfortable 137-114 NBA win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.

Curry added 11 rebounds and eight assists while Draymond Green posted his first double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 assists as the reigning NBA champions put together three straight victories for the first time this season.

It was just their second away victory of the campaign and moved them to 11-10, the first time in a month they have been above .500.

The Warriors, seemingly determined to turn around their dismal fortunes on the road, exploded out of the gate, engineering a 17-0 scoring run on the way to 47 first-quarter points and a 20-point lead after the first period.

They were up by 20 going into the fourth although the Timberwolves, led by 26 points from Anthony Edwards with 21 from Karl-Anthony Towns, cut that by half with 5:31 remaining.

Golden State responded, with Curry draining a three-pointer before Klay Thompson delivered a trey, a steal and another three-pointer to push the lead back to 19.

Six Warriors players finished in double figures, Thompson posting 21 and Jordan Poole adding 24 off the bench.

“I think what really propelled us that first half, especially defensively, is not fouling,” Thompson said. “As simple as it sounds, it has us playing at such a higher level.

“Our defence obviously fuels our offense, getting out in transition, hitting the open man. And it’s crazy how when we play simple basketball, it’s a thing of beauty.”

The Warriors will try to build more momentum on the road when they travel to Dallas for a Western Conference finals rematch on Tuesday.

Mavs fall to Bucks

The Mavs will be looking to rebound at home after falling 124-115 to the Bucks in Milwaukee on Sunday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points with 11 rebounds for the Bucks and Grayson Allen, who was a perfect seven-for-seven from three-point range in the first half, added 25.

Luka Doncic scored 27 points to lead Dallas, who suffered a fourth straight defeat.

It was no surprise to see the league-leading Boston Celtics cruise to a 130-121 home victory over the Washington Wizards.

Even with MVP candidate Jayson Tatum sidelined with a sore ankle, the Celtics offense was explosive. Boston connected on 16 of 34 three-point attempts and shot 55 per cent from the field overall in a game that was more lopsided than the final score indicated.

Jaylen Brown scored a season-high 36 points to lead seven Celtics players in double figures in the team’s 16th win of the season.

At Madison Square Garden, Memphis star Ja Morant thrived in the spotlight, with a triple-double of 27 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists powering the Grizzlies to a 127-123 victory over the New York Knicks.

Morant rebounded his own miss and made the put-back basket to put Memphis up 124-123 with 13.9 seconds remaining, and the Grizzlies — who had led by 12 early in the fourth quarter — sealed it with a string of free-throws.

Durant leads Nets

Across town in Brooklyn, superstar Kevin Durant scored 31 points and Seth Curry added 29 off the bench as the Nets pulled away late for a 111-97 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Seth Curry hit seven of 10 from three-point range and scored the Nets’ first eight points of the final period. His three-pointer with 6:45 remaining pushed the Nets’ lead to nine points.

“We kept using the word ‘aggressive,’” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said of the mindset in a game that featured 16 lead changes. “We want to be the aggressors on every possession.”

Jerami Grant led the Blazers with 29 points, stepping up again as Damian Lillard remained sidelined with a calf strain.

In Los Angeles, injured Clippers stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard watched from the bench as Croatian centre Ivica Zubac scored 31 points and pulled down a career-high 29 rebounds, blocked three shots and handed out three assists before fouling out in the Clippers’ 114-100 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Zubac’s 29 rebounds were the most in an NBA game this season and three short of the Clippers’ franchise record of 32 — set by Swen Nater back in 1979.

DOHA — Richarlison has always had a flair for the dramatic and the Brazil striker is relishing his chance to seize the World Cup spotlight after being reduced to a supporting role at Tottenham.

After starting his Tottenham career this season stuck in Harry Kane’s shadow, the flamboyant Richarlison has grabbed his opportunity to be the centre of attention on the global stage in Qatar.

With Brazil battling to break down stubborn Serbia, Richarlison scored twice after half-time as the World Cup title favourites opened their campaign with a 2-0 win on Thursday.

It was the 25-year-old’s balletic second goal — an agile scissor-kick launched with Richarlison parallel to the ground — that suggested he is ready to emerge as one of the World Cup’s leading lights.

Richarlison’s moment of magic against Serbia came after his World Cup dreams had been plunged into doubt when he suffered a calf injury playing for Tottenham in a Premier League game against Everton in October.

“Four weeks ago I was crying, doubting whether I would come. It was worth all the effort I put in to my recovery. Three sessions a day. I was determined to come to the World Cup,” he said.

Known for celebrating his often audacious goals by strutting like a pigeon, Richarlison has never shied away from the limelight.

And with Brazil’s talisman Neymar sidelined for at least one game after suffering ankle ligament damage against Serbia, Richarlison will be the main man in their second Group G fixture against Switzerland at Stadium 974 on Monday.

Even without Paris Saint Germain star Neymar, Brazil coach Tite has a wealth of attacking options to choose from.

Richarlison, Vinicius Junior, Gabriel Jesus, Raphinha, Antony, Gabriel Martinelli and Rodrygo have all been vying for places in the Selecao starting line-up.

But unlike at Tottenham, where he is unable to play in his preferred central striker’s role due to the presence of England captain Kane, Richarlison has been entrusted with the weighty burden of providing Brazil’s main source of goals.

It is a responsibility Richarlison is more than happy to shoulder as Brazil chase their first world title since 2002.

Predatory instincts

Richarlison’s dreams of World Cup glory were fuelled on the dirt fields of Todos os Santos, where he first played football as a child.

After his parents divorced, Richarlison’s fiercely driven personality emerged as he sold ice cream, picked coffee beans and washed cars to help his mother, who worked several jobs to provide for the family.

Spurned by Brazilian clubs Avai and Figueirense as a teenager, Richarlison finally earned his chance with America Mineiro before his vast potential was spotted by Fluminense and then Watford.

Brazil coach Tite ranks Richarlison as his best “finisher” but those predatory instincts have yet to show themselves at Tottenham, where he has struggled to justify the £60 million ($72 million) fee Antonio Conte paid to sign him from Everton in the close-season.

A return of just two goals from his 15 appearances this season is well below what Conte would have expected from a player who was prolific at Everton and has netted 19 times in 39 caps for Brazil.

In Richarlison’s defence, he has had to play in a wider attacking role at Tottenham.

Yet, even the striker himself admits he poses a more consistent threat with Brazil. 

“I don’t know if you can smell a goal but with the national team I score goals,” Richarlison said. 

A Copa America winner with Brazil in 2019, Richarlison might have noted that his stunning strike against Serbia came at the stadium that will host the World Cup final on December 18.

For a player with dreams of emulating World Cup-winning Brazil strikers like Pele and Ronaldo, the Lusail Iconic Stadium sounds like an appropriate venue for Richarlison to etch his name alongside his country’s legends.

DOHA — Just one match into the Qatar World Cup, Germany faces what amounts to a must-win clash against Spain on Sunday, a team they have not beaten in a competitive fixture since 1988.

Before Germany were stunned 2-1 by Japan in their opening match, the team faced heavy criticism for backtracking on a promise to wear a rainbow “OneLove” armband in support of diversity and human rights. 

Their response was powerful — a team photo before the Japan match in which all 11 players covered their mouths, suggesting they had been silenced by FIFA, who had threatened on-field sanctions for anyone wearing the armband.

But after Japan scored two late goals to beat Hansi Flick’s team, the Germans were hammered by some observers for losing focus on the football when they should be concentrating on avoiding a second successive group stage exit in a World Cup.

On Friday, Chelsea striker Kai Havertz said the players were holding onto their beliefs but knew the challenge ahead, especially against a Spain team that steamrollered Costa Rica 7-0 in their opening game.

“Everyone knows our point of view and how we think,” Havertz said in a pre-match press conference. 

“Really, our focus is 100 per cent on football, nothing else. We just said what we think, what our point of view is, everyone knows that, and now it is about playing football.”

With supermarket chain Rewe pulling their sponsorship and with TV ratings for the Japan game the lowest in Germany for a World Cup in more than 30 years, Havertz recognised that the challenges were not just on the field, saying: “I know not everyone is behind us.”

Havertz revealed the squad and Flick held a wide-ranging team meeting on Thursday, admitting “it was time to tell ourselves the truth”. 

Havertz said “everyone left the meeting knowing what’s going on”. 

Sitting alongside Havertz, midfielder Julian Brandt said “we had a very good exchange. All of us left the conversation feeling like we had the determination to win the game.”

‘Our first final’

The importance of the Spain match at the Al Bayt Stadium cannot be underestimated — national squad manager and 1996 Euros winner Oliver Bierhoff has asked what another early exit would mean for the future of football in Germany. 

Speaking with Germany TV network ARD on Friday, Bierhoff said losing “our first final” in Qatar would have widespread ramifications for the sport. 

“What does it mean for German football? For the further development?” Bierhoff asked. 

“And if you go a little deeper: [what does it mean] for the investment we have to make to stay competitive [and] to have new players in eight or ten years?”

Far from being haunted by the ghosts of their early exit in Russia however, Havertz said the match could represent “a turnaround” for the under-fire side, saying “we all dreamed of playing these games”. 

“Now we are in a bad moment, but I think that can switch around quite fast — if we win the game on Sunday.”

Captain Manuel Neuer on Friday said Sunday’s match was “a huge chance”, emphasising the side could learn from Russia “we blew it once and now we know how not to do it”. 

Brandt agreed. “People keep talking about us being in a ‘shitty situation’, and yes, we are.”

“Spain come to the stadium on Sunday on the back of a 7-0 victory but it is a chance, on Sunday, a chance to change the atmosphere.”

Japan at ‘peace’

Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu said beating Germany had given Japan “peace of mind” for Sunday’s game against Costa Rica, who were hammered 7-0 by Spain in their opener.

Costa Rica must win to revive its chances of reaching the knock-out round and Japan defender Yuto Nagatomo said his team will be waiting to exploit any gaps they leave behind.

Nagatomo believes Japan have become a versatile side who are now “difficult for opponents to understand”.

“Tactically, we have become a team where it wouldn’t look strange if any of us were playing in any position,” he said.

“I think we’ve become hard for our opponents to analyse, almost like a chameleon.”

DOHA — Qatar coach Felix Sanchez hopes his team can bring their “A Game” against Senegal as the host nation battle to avoid setting an unwanted World Cup record.

Defeat on Friday would mean the earliest-ever exit for a host nation — South Africa also went out at the group stage in 2010 — but were still alive heading into their third match.

Reigning Asian champions Qatar became the first hosts to lose their opening game after freezing in a dispiriting 2-0 defeat to Ecuador.

Sanchez backed his players to overcome their stage fright against African champions Senegal and show their quality.

“We hope that now we are free from all the pressure that we had in the opening match,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Thursday.

“I hope we can compete and bring our ‘A Game’ and show that we can be more competitive than we were the other day.

“We are playing a very high-level team so we need to prove ourselves, play our game and see what happens.”

Defender Ismail Mohamad urged Qatar fans not to write them off after only one game.

“The last match is history now,” he said. “I think we are starting a fresh page with the team and preparing for the next match.

“I do think that the team is on the right path. I think that in the next match we will be better prepared and we will give it our all.”

Mohamad said Qatar had taken inspiration from shock wins for Saudi Arabia, which beat Argentina, and Japan, who beat Germany.

“It goes without saying that those teams, especially Saudi Arabia, are making us a little bit jealous and motivating us to perform as well as they have,” he said.

“We want to give it our all tomorrow.”

Sanchez said the long-term future of Qatari football was bright regardless of how the team performs in the tournament.

“One of the things that Qatar has proved so far, which is not common in the world of football, is that there was a long-term plan to prepare,” he said.

“I am convinced that after the World Cup Qatar will keep working on that and football will keep improving.”

Kane fit to face USA

Gareth Southgate says England captain Harry Kane is fit to face the United States on Friday after his World Cup injury scare.

Kane suffered an ankle injury in the second half of England’s 6-2 win against Iran in their Group B opener in Doha on Monday.

The Tottenham striker, who has a long history of ankle problems, was sent for a scan on Wednesday, sparking fears he might be set for a spell on the sidelines.

But England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had eased those concerns when he revealed Kane took part in training on Wednesday.

And Three Lions boss Southgate on Thursday said Kane would be available for selection against the USA in their group game at the Al Bayt Stadium.

“Harry is fine. He has worked slightly separately from the group but all good for Friday night,” Southgate told the BBC.

“He had a scan to make sure everything is fine.”

Southgate also said Harry Maguire was feeling better after the Manchester United centre-back was substituted having become ill in the closing stages of the Iran match.

“He was feeling ill and that was affecting his vision. You worry about concussion in that instant, but we were going back through all the footage and there is nothing, so he is in a good area,” Southgate said.