Sergio Busquets denied suggestions Spain were relieved to have avoided a potential World Cup quarter-final against Brazil after La Roja survived an almighty scare to advance from Group E.
Spain were on course to top the group when Alvaro Morata gave them an early lead against Japan at the Khalifa International Stadium on Thursday, but Ao Tanaka followed up Ritsu Doan's leveller within 142 seconds to fire the Samurai Blue to first place.
Spain's defeat saw them advance via goal difference as Germany beat Costa Rica 4-2 in the group's other game, and La Roja were briefly set for a stunning group-stage exit when Los Ticos led Hansi Flick's team with 20 minutes remaining.
Spain will now meet Morocco in the last 16, and provided Brazil avoid defeat to Cameroon on Friday, they will not be able to meet the pre-tournament favourites until the final.
However, Busquets was dismissive when asked if that represented a positive outcome, saying: "It has nothing to do with it.
"We wanted to win and be first. We go to the other side of the bracket, but that does not guarantee that it will be easier or more difficult.
"We didn't want this to happen, our intention was to win. To continue, we have the round of 16 against Morocco, which is going to be a very difficult match.
"We were not comfortable. They closed the pass between the lines very well and it was very difficult for us to connect and create danger.
"We knew it was going to be like that, it's a shame about the goals. We have to continue, try to correct the mistakes, and go through the knockouts."
Spain dropped to third place when Manuel Neuer's own goal put Costa Rica 2-1 up against Germany at Al Bayt Stadium, before the four-time winners levelled the scores through Kai Havertz three minutes later.
Busquets' midfield partner Pedri revealed Spain were made aware of their perilous situation during that brief period, as he emphasised the need to improve against Morocco.
"We knew we were out. Personally, I tried to encourage my team-mates to look for that goal after they scored against us, but we didn't manage it," Pedri said.
"We have to go with everything, the games now are life or death. The coach will tell us the failures we had and what we have to improve on."
Spain have lost their final group game at a World Cup for the first time since 1982 (1-0 v Northern Ireland), having won eight of their nine previous such matches (D1).
Japan, meanwhile, have reached the last 16 at consecutive World Cups for the first time, topping their group for the first time since they did so on home soil at the 2002 tournament.
Gravenberch ready to show off Liverpool form ‘to the world’, says Gakpo
Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo expressed his pride in seeing compatriot Ryan Gravenberch show off his qualities ‘to the whole world’ after a fine start to the Premier League season.
Though the Netherlands pair did not become teammates at Liverpool until late summer of 2023, Gakpo knew well Gravenberch’s talents from their respective Eredivisie spells with PSV Eindhoven and Ajax.
Now in his second season at Anfield, Gravenberch has drawn widespread plaudits for his form in a new deeper-lying midfield role under new head coach Arne Slot, having largely been used as a substitute under Jurgen Klopp.
Gravenberch is the only midfielder in Europe's big-five leagues to both make 30+ tackles (30) and 30+ interceptions (33) in all competitions this season, and Gakpo insisted that his Netherlands team-mate can continue to go from strength to strength, starting against Southampton this Sunday.
“We [the Dutchmen at Liverpool] knew Ryan already from the Eredivisie when he played at Ajax, and I think everybody knew already that he is this good,” Gakpo recently told Men in Blazers.
“After that, he made a move to Bayern Munich, and maybe he didn’t play that much over there, but still everybody in Holland knew how good he could be when he was playing.
“And I think maybe the manager [Slot] also knew this. At the beginning of the season, he put him in a slightly different position, but he gave him the confidence to play there.
“Ryan showed his quality in that position, grabbed his chance as well and turned out to be a good match. He is playing outstandingly for us this season.
“I’m very happy that we can see Ryan, as we Dutchmen already knew, but now he can show it to the whole world. I’m very proud of him.”
Southampton, meanwhile, welcome the Reds to St. Mary’s on the back of a 2-0 defeat to Wolves ahead of the international break, leaving them bottom of the table after 11 games of the season.
The Saints are the lowest scorers in the Premier League this season (seven), while only Crystal Palace (5.1%) have a lower shot conversion rate than Russell Martin’s side (6.2%). Just 30.1% of Southampton’s shots have been on target this term (34/113), a league-low ratio.
However, the Southampton head coach is relishing the opportunity of facing Liverpool, with his players performing well against the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City already this term.
"I'm really excited about Sunday. We're playing the best team in the country at the moment, on their current form and what they have been doing with their manager, built on an incredible foundation from the previous manager, so I'm really looking forward to it,” Martin said.
"I think we showed the guys the Premier League table last season and how much it changed by the end and by the end of December. But it's honestly such an exciting month.
"People talk about the difficulty of the game and every competition we face in the next four or five games, but it's what we all worked so hard for. We should be excited about the challenge.
“I think teams have shown in the last few weeks that you can pick up big results against big teams, good opposition, and we are going to have to. Our level of performance against teams at the top end of the table has been good on the whole."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Southampton – Mateus Fernandes
Fernandes has become a mainstay in the Southampton team, starting the last eight Premier League games in a row, and has been one of Martin’s standout performers in a lacklustre start to the campaign.
In the Saints’ 2-0 defeat to Wolves last time out, the Portuguese contributed a team-high expected goals (xG) tally of 0.22 from his three shots, while only Yukinari Sugawara (10) and Flynn Downes (12) have created more chances in the top-flight than Fernandes (eight) this season.
Liverpool – Mohamed Salah
Salah has both scored and assisted in the same match 35 times in the Premier League (including four already this term), just one shy of Wayne Rooney’s record of 36 games with both a goal and an assist in the competition. The Egyptian has been directly involved in 11 goals (seven goals, four assists) in 11 Premier League appearances against Southampton.
He has also been directly involved in 67% of Liverpool’s Premier League goals this season (14/21 – eight goals, six assists), the highest ratio by a player for any side in the division in 2024-25. Indeed, only Matt Le Tissier for Southampton in 1993-94 (69% - 34/49) has scored or assisted a higher proportion of a side’s goals in a single season in the competition.
MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN
Liverpool have won nine of their 11 Premier League games under new head coach Slot (D1 L1). A win over Southampton will see the Dutchman become the joint-fastest manager to reach 10 wins from the start of a Premier League career (12 games), alongside Guus Hiddink in May 2009 and Carlo Ancelotti in November 2009 (both with Chelsea).
The Reds’ last Premier League game against the Saints was a 4-4 away draw in May 2023 – they conceded as many goals in that game as they had in their previous six visits to St Mary’s combined.
Southampton have won just one of their last 14 Premier League games against Liverpool (D3 L10), a 1-0 home victory in January 2021.
This will also be the first Premier League match between the side starting the day bottom of the table and the side starting the day top since April 2023, and Southampton’s 3-3 draw away to Arsenal. The league leaders are unbeaten in 14 such matches (W12 D2) since Wolves won 2-1 against Manchester United in February 2011.
However, Southampton have only lost one of their last eight Premier League home games against sides starting the day at the summit (W2 D5) and are unbeaten in their last four (W2 D2 – including a 1-0 win over Liverpool in January 2021) since a 0-1 defeat to Man City in May 2018.
But Martin’s side have lost nine of their 11 Premier League games this season (W1 D1). Only seven sides in English top-flight history have reached 10 defeats in 12 or fewer matches from the start of a campaign, with all seven going on to be relegated.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Southampton – 9.7%
Draw – 12.6%
Liverpool – 77.7%
Taylor proud of 'gritty' Man City display in Hammarby victory
Gareth Taylor was pleased with how his Manchester City players handled the atmosphere against Hammarby to secure their passage into the Champions League quarter-finals.
Khadija Shaw opened the scoring in the 31st minute before Ellen Wangerheim restored parity shortly after the interval with a finish from close range.
But Shaw continued her fine start to the campaign, scoring the winner to become City's all-time top scorer in the competition, surpassing Georgia Stanway and Janine Beckie (both six).
The result saw City make it to the last eight of the competition for the first time since 2021, though the encounter was far from comfortable at the Tele2 Arena on Thursday.
Hammarby ended the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.15 compared to the visitors' 1.07, despite both sides having 14 shots throughout the match.
However, City maintained their unbeaten record against Swedish sides in the competitor (W6), and Taylor was proud of his side's "gritty" display in Stockholm.
“I’m really pleased. It was about qualification for us tonight," Taylor said.
"There were a couple of ways we could do it. Obviously, we knew a point was enough, but I don’t think the players were thinking that way.
“It was a really gritty performance on a really difficult on this pitch. It probably doesn’t look like that for the viewers at home watching it.
"But it was a really lively surface and we worked so hard.
“I felt there were some areas we could control the play better. I have to give credit to Hammarby, they were really aggressive.
"The referee was on our side a little bit in the first half and maybe not in the second.
“I’m really pleased and proud of the players, they really dug in tonight. You come away from a hostile environment with a win.”
Dwight Yorke backs push for T&T’s citizenship reform to boost Soca Warriors’ World Cup bid
Soca Warriors Head coach Dwight Yorke has warmly embraced the government’s initiative to review the nation’s citizenship laws, a move that could significantly bolster his squad's depth and aspirations for the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
The proposed changes, currently under discussion, would allow foreign-based players with Trinidad and Tobago-born grandparents to represent the Twin Island Republic, a significant step up from the current Constitution, which states that “A person shall not become a citizen of T&T if, at the time of his birth—(a) neither of his parents is a citizen of T&T.”
This adjustment could expand the Soca Warriors player pool and, by extension, create new opportunities for Trinidad and Tobago to remain competitive on the global stage across various sports.
Minister of Sport and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis explained that steps are being taken to explore legislative reforms.
The Ministry of National Security, the Office of the Attorney General, and the TT Football Association (TTFA) are also involved in discussions about the initiative to draw insights from policies in other Caribbean nations.
“We’re starting with football. We are exploring the policies of our neighbours and the legislation to work out an arrangement suitable for T&T. So we’re at the discussion stage right now,” Cudjoe-Lewis said during Yorke’s unveiling recently.
“For the drafters of the legislation and the persons looking at the policy, it’s a little more complicated, and a proper, thorough study on policy development must be done. It’s not something you want to rush,” she added.
Although a timeline for implementation has not been established, the initiative has already sparked interest across Trinidad and Tobago’s broader sporting community, with other national sporting organizations inquiring about similar eligibility expansions for their athletes.
“As we started looking at football, many of the other sporting bodies started reaching out, saying they want to be able to use persons whose grandparents were born in T&T for them to be able to play for national teams,” Cudjoe-Lewis shared.
“You have to pass the legislation and the policy in such a way that it is fair and just. We’re starting with football, and we are just looking at and exploring the policy of our neighbours and the legislation, so we’re at the discussion stage right now,” she stressed.
Yorke, a former Soca Warriors and Manchester United stalwart, understands the potential impact such reforms could have but emphasized that any additions to the squad must be carefully considered to ensure they fit seamlessly into the team’s long-term strategy.
He referenced the success of global football powerhouses like France, England, and Germany, which have leveraged similar eligibility rules to assemble world-class teams.
“It’s been talked about, and we’ve seen over the years where other teams, predominantly big teams in world football, all have some type of inheritance. We are looking at the situation, one that we will implement at some point, but it has to be the right players to come into the equation,” Yorke said.
Yorke also praised the December restart of the TT Premier Football League, which he believes will serve as a proving ground for local talent with national team ambitions.
“For the players who have aspirations of representing T&T, it gives them additional incentive when they get out there to know what’s at stake. Any young man who is playing at that level should have aspiration to be part of the national team.
“So that’s the message. In terms of me, Russell Latapy, Derek King (assistant coaches), and the backroom staff, we’re collectively looking for the best talent in the country,” Yorke declared.
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