In this week’s edition of Premier League Goals of the Week (the Round 21 edition) we see that Everton’s Leighton Baines isn’t the only man around Goodison Park who can nail a really sweet free kick. Right-on, Kevin Mirallas! (And you just know there was some pressure afoot when you take a free kick near goal, while Baines stands by, also ready to take a crack at it.)
That’s the first goal you’ll see here … and there’s plenty more:
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Tunisia need a win and help as they clash with reigning World Cup champions France in their Group D finale.
With France already through to the last 16 of the World Cup courtesy of their two wins so far against Australia and Denmark, Didier Deschamps may rest a few key players for this game. That will give Tunisia hope and after their 0-0 draw against Denmark and their narrow 1-0 defeat to Australia, they’ve been in both games but just can’t find that finishing touch in the final third.
[ MORE: Group D standings, schedule, scores ]
France have an abundance of talent, and that’s just on their bench. Despite losing Nkunku, Benzema, Pogba and Kante to injury before the tournament kicked off, it hasn’t really impacted them as they’ve made light work of their opening two group games. Kylian Mbappe was the difference against Denmark and he already has three goals at this tournament to be the joint top scorer.
[ LIVE: World Cup 2022 schedule, how to watch, scores, hub ]
Here is everything you need for Tunisia vs France.
Kick off: 10am ET – Wednesday, November 30
Stadium: Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
Tunisia need to take more risks in attack and this is all or nothing for them now. They need to win and hope that Australia against Denmark ends in a draw as they have the upperhand over Australia when it comes to goal difference. If they win and Denmark win it will also go down to goal difference to see if they reach the last 16. Surely Khazri and Khenissi will start this game to give them extra quality in attack.
France now have the luxury of resting some of their key players ahead of the last 16 but Deschamps will be keen to make it three wins from three in the group stage to keep momentum going. Expect to see the likes of Camavinga, Saliba, Guendouzi and Thuram from the start. France just need a point to guarantee top spot in the group but in reality their huge advantage in goal difference over Australia (6 goals better off) means they’ve already won the group.
Current FIFA world ranking: 30
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 5
How they qualified: Qualified via CAF playoffs (Beat Mali)
Coach: Jalel Kadri
Key players: Ferjani Sassi, Wahbi Khazri, Youssef Msakni
Current FIFA world ranking: 4
World Cup titles: 2 (1998, 2018)
World Cup appearances: 15
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA (Won Group D)
Coach: Didier Deschamps
Key players: Hugo Lloris, Paul Pogba, Karim Benzema
Japan look to make it two wins from two to kick off the group stage as they clash with a downbeat Costa Rica side.
STREAM LIVE JAPAN v COSTA RICA
Following their incredible late comeback win against Germany, many people believe the Samurai Blue could be a dark horse in this tournament. Their total team effort, and options off the bench, are impressive and they will now look to make the most of that historic win against Germany.
As for Costa Rica, well, it can’t get any worse than their opener. They didn’t have a single shot against Spain and lost 7-0 as Loc Ticos were totally outclassed and it will be tough to recover from that. If they want to get out of the group, they simply have to win this game.
[ LIVE: World Cup 2022 schedule, how to watch, scores, hub ]
Here is everything you need for Japan vs Costa Rica in Group E.
Kick off: 5am ET – Sunday, November 27
Stadium: Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
Japan will now look to build on their first-ever win against Germany and they will be full of confidence after a resolute team display. Manager Hajime Moriyasu makes five changes to the team which beat Germany as the the strength of his squad is incredible and he will once again look to the bench and aim to blow opponents away in the final 30 minutes. It is all about the team first and his players totally buy into that model.
#SAMURAIBLUE
LINE-UP📝#権田修一(GK)#山根視来#板倉滉#長友佑都#遠藤航#堂安律#守田英正#鎌田大地#上田綺世#吉田麻也(C)#相馬勇紀🏆FIFA #ワールドカップ 第2節
🆚コスタリカ🇨🇷
⌚️19:00KO(🇯🇵)
📺#テレビ朝日/#ABEMA
🔗https://t.co/qYizrz8qDC#jfa #daihyo #サッカー日本代表 pic.twitter.com/Fg9OyNglCq— サッカー日本代表 🇯🇵 【11.17(木)】vs 🇨🇦【11.23(水)】vs 🇩🇪 (@jfa_samuraiblue) November 27, 2022
As for Costa Rica, they have to forget the hammering to Spain. That can happen when you play Spain who have so many great attacking players and when it clicks, they can pummel teams. They simply have to win this game and Kendall Waston and Gerson Torres are the only two changes from the defeat to Spain.
𝙇𝙊𝙎 1️⃣1️⃣ 𝙀𝙇𝙀𝙂𝙄𝘿𝙊𝙎
¡VAMOS SELE! 🇨🇷#FCRF #LaSele #PuraVidaEnQatar22 #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/JymgZhU0LI
— FCRF (@fedefutbolcrc) November 27, 2022
Current FIFA world ranking: 24
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 7
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from AFC
Coach: Hajime Moriyasu
Key players: Maya Yoshida, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Takumi Minamino, Daichi Kamada
Current FIFA world ranking: 31
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 5
How they qualified: Qualified from CONCACAF via interconfederation playoffs
Coach: Luis Fernando Suarez
Key players: Keylor Navas, Joel Campbell, Celso Borges, Bryan Ruiz
Being dubbed as ‘The Battle of Britain’ this clash in the Group B finale between Wales and England has plenty on the line.
There is no love lost between these bitter rivals.
England know anything other than a four-goal or more defeat to Wales means they are in the last 16, while a win for the Three Lions would guarantee them top spot in Group B ahead of Wales, Iran and the USA. Gareth Southgate’s side need an impressive performance to go with any win as their fanbase was far from happy with their lackluster display in the 0-0 draw against the USA last Friday.
[ MORE: Group B standings, schedule, results ]
As for Wales, their situation is clear: they have to win to have a chance of reaching the last 16 and then they will hope that Iran vs USA in their other Group B game ends in a draw. That could happen but Wales need to improve drastically on their two showings so far as their star players have looked off the pace and they deservedly lost against Iran last time out.
[ LIVE: World Cup 2022 schedule, how to watch, scores, hub ]
Here is everything you need for Wales vs England.
Kick off: 2pm ET – Tuesday, November 29
Stadium: Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
TV channels en Español: Telemundo
Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
The Welsh have not made the most of their second trip to the World Cup in their history. They were dominated in the first half of their opener against the U.S. but showed good spirit to battle back for a point late on. Against Iran they were second best throughout and a late red card to Wayne Hennessey was followed by two late Iranian goals and Robert Page could have no complaints as his team failed to show up. Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale have had superb careers but injuries have hit them hard in recent years and this looks like a tournament too far for Wales’ star duo.
As for England, the vultures are circling back home as Gareth Southgate is under pressure once again for what many believe are overly cautious tactics. Against the U.S. they huffed and puffed without really creating clear-cut chances and were pretty lucky to escape with a draw. Even though England are all but guaranteed a spot in the last 16, the Three Lions fans expect more from Harry Kane and Co. after they reached the World Cup semifinals four years ago and were runners up in the European Championships just over a year ago. Southgate is expected to make quite a few changes to his lineup as the likes of Phil Foden, Kalvin Phillips and Marcus Rashford could feature from the start.
Current FIFA world ranking: 19
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 1
How they qualified: Qualified from UEFA via playoffs, Path B
Coach: Rob Page
Key players: Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Ben Davies
Current FIFA world ranking: 5
World Cup titles: 1 (1966)
World Cup appearances: 15
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA
Coach: Gareth Southgate
Key players: Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Jordan Pickford
The 2022 FIFA World Cup features 32 nations competing in soccer’s biggest event in Qatar, the first World Cup ever held in the Middle East. This year marks the final edition of the tournament with a 32-nation field – that number is set to increase to 48 for the 2026 World Cup, which will have venues across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
This year’s Copa Mundial looks different for several reasons, including the dates (due to Qatar’s intense summer heat, the schedule was shifted to November-December instead of its traditional summer timing). But as always, the event features the world’s top fútbol nations vying for global glory as well as individual awards for top performers, including the coveted prize for attacking players: the Golden Boot.
At the last iteration of the World Cup, England’s Harry Kane, also a star for Premier League side Tottenham, took home the award thanks to his six goals, which likely helped soften the blow of the Three Lions falling 2-0 to Belgium in the third-place match. One of the top storylines to watch at this year’s World Cup is the swan song for two of the game’s biggest stars: Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Christiano Ronaldo. Neither player has ever won the Golden Boot, and neither of their teams has won the World Cup during their tenures. Defending champions France will likely field some contenders for the award, including Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema. For more on the latest Golden Boot standings, odds and predictions throughout the tournament, follow along with ProSoccerTalk and NBC Sports Edge.
RELATED: World Cup 2022 schedule – groups, calendar, match schedule, brackets, dates
The Golden Boot is the award given to the top goal-scorer at each edition of the World Cup. If at the conclusion of the tournament two or more players are tied at the top of the list with the same number of goals, the award will go to the player with the most non-penalty goals, and if they are still tied, it will go to the player with the most assists. While there has always been a top goal-scorer at the tournament, the specific award has been given since 1982. It was known as “The Golden Show” until its re-christening in 2010.
RELATED: World Cup 2022 rankings: Who are the favorites?
1. Enner Valencia (Ecuador) – 3
2. Kylian Mbappe (France) – 3
3. Olivier Giroud (France) – 2
4. Mehdi Taremi (Iran) – 2
5. Richarlison (Brazil) – 2
6. Ferran Torres (Spain) – 2
7. Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 2
8. Bukayo Saka (England) – 2
9. Cody Gakpo (Netherlands) – 2
1982: Paolo Rossi (ITA) – 6
1986: Gary Lineker (GBR) – 6
1990: Salvatore Schillaci – 6
1994: Oleg Salenko (RUS) / Hristo Stoichkov (BUL) – 6
1998: Davor Suker (CRO) – 6
2002: Ronaldo (BRA) – 8
2006 – Miroslav Klose (GER) – 5
2010 – Thomas Muller (GER) – 5
2014 – James Rodriguez (COL) – 6
2018 – Harry Kane (GBR) – 6
The World Cup begins Sunday, November 20th with host nation Qatar taking on Ecuador in the opener. The group stage runs through December 3rd before the knockout rounds begin. The final is set to take place on Sunday, December 18th.
RELATED: USMNT squad confirmed for 2022 World Cup
Follow along with ProSoccerTalk for the latest news, scores, storylines, and updates surrounding the 2022 World Cup, and be sure to subscribe to NBC Sports on YouTube!
