Haaland breaks goal record to send Man City back top

	Premier League	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Manchester City	33	25	4	4	87	30	+57	79
2	Arsenal	34	24	4	6	81	39	+42	78
3	Newcastle United	33	18	11	4	61	27	+34	65
4	Manchester United	33	19	6	8	49	40	+9	63
5	Liverpool	34	17	8	9	66	42	+24	59
6	Brighton & Hove Albion	32	16	7	9	62	40	+22	55
7	Tottenham Hotspur	34	16	6	12	63	57	+6	54
8	Aston Villa	34	16	6	12	46	42	+4	54

ERLING HAALAND broke the Premier League record for number of goals in a single season as Manchester City returned top with a 3-0 win over West Ham United on Wednesday.

Haaland's sublime chip over Lukasz Fabianski took him on to 35, one clear of Andy Cole and Alan Shearer, whose 34-goal tallies had come in a 42-match campaign.

The Norwegian is now on 51 in all competitions, 12 behind Dixie Dean's all-time English record, with a potential nine games still to play as Man City seek a Premier League-FA Cup-Champions League treble.

Arsenal had kept up the pressure by beating Chelsea easily at the Emirates on Tuesday - but, having led the title race by eight points on 1 April, a recent winless run has taken it out of their hands.

The Gunners gave away 2-0 leads in successive away draws at West Ham and Liverpool before having to rescue a point at home from 3-1 down late on against Southampton.

All of that came ahead of the clash between the top two at the Etihad Stadium in which Haaland twice turned provider for Kevin De Bruyne as Man City prevailed 4-1 on 26 April.

Man City subsequently went top by beating Fulham 2-1 - and Pep Guardiola's men enjoy a one-point lead, a significant goal difference advantage, and still have a game in hand.

Behind the top two, this season's two League Cup finalists - Newcastle United and Manchester United - currently sit in the remaining Champions League spots, with the Red Devils having won the Final 2-0 at Wembley.

Newcastle, in third, have responded well since that League Cup Final defeat by going on a fantastic run of league form, winning eight of the last nine games.

Indeed, Eddie Howe's men now have the Champions League in sight - at most, it is mathematically only eight points away.

So, certainly, this campaign for the Magpies is in a sharp contrast to the last one when Howe had to rescue a Steve Bruce-trashed side which were placed in 19th on three points upon Bruce's departure in October 2021.

On the subject of contrasts, Man United - who beat Brighton & Hove Albion to reach the FA Cup Final against Man City - are making hard work of their Premier League run-in.

Erik Ten Haag's team have stumbled recently in a draw away at Tottenham Hotspur and a league defeat last night to Brighton.

Nevertheless, they will no doubt back themselves in a campaign during which has been fought on several fronts.

Their eternal rivals Liverpool, in fifth, have had an admittedly disappointing campaign - but remain in contention for a top four placing after making it five wins in a row by beating Fulham 1-0 on Wednesday.

The Reds will also start favourites in each of their remaining four fixtures - but even their best spell of results this season still leaves Jurgen Klopp's men four points adrift having played a game more.

It has now worked out that the teams in fifth and sixth place will qualify for the Europa League while seventh place will be enough for the Europa Conference League.

This is because both Manchester clubs are guaranteed to finish in the European places and win both domestic cup competitions.

Brighton last night jumped into sixth following a dramatic win last night in the ninth minute of stoppage time as Alexis MacAllister kept his cool to thump in a penalty following Luke Shaw's injudicious handball.

The Seagulls have had an especially fine campaign, particularly considering the disruption which could have been caused when Chelsea nabbed Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi arrived midway through the season.

Now, the south coast club still have a backlog of fixtures due to their run to the FA Cup semi finals - and De Zerbi's outfit could finish higher than their present position by using their games in hand.

However, a full assault on the top four looks beyond them, given the severity of their fixtures which include both of the top two.

Tottenham and Aston Villa currently occupy seventh and eighth and face each other at Villa Park on 13 May.

But, regardless of the result of that match, it is surely too late for either side to make it into the top four, particularly Spurs who have lost their way completely at the tail end of this campaign.

The North London club were 5-0 down at Newcastle in 21 minutes in an extraordinary collapse which cost Cristian Stellini his job.

Stellini himself had replaced Antonio Conte after the multiple champion had delivered a spectacular rant against the club's ownership and "selfish" players following a 3-3 draw at Southampton.

Yet, within the first 15 minutes of the first game under new caretaker Ryan Mason against Liverpool at Anfield last Sunday, Spurs were 3-0 down again.

This time, in fairness, Spurs battled back to 3-3, but they still then lost to a last-gasp goal.

Meanwhile, Villa have been hamstrung by a poor start to the season and have been far better since Unai Emery replaced Steven Gerrard as head coach at the start of November.

However, as Gerrard left the Villains down in 17th place with just nine points, it is an achievement in itself that Emery's men are even in the conversation.

Some teams struggle for the whole season, though - and Southampton have been stuck in the relegation zone since November and have now been cut somewhat adrift of the other stragglers.

Presently, the Saints - with only six league wins all season - must win three of their last four games to stand any chance of survival.

But, with the number of teams involved above them taken into account, it is a distinct possibility that even maximum points may not be enough.

Second-bottom Everton have also only won six league games this season - and, having secured safety last year with just one match to spare, it looks likely to be an even closer call this time around.

For a start, the Toffees, on 29 points, must make up a point on at least two of the three clubs above them over the last four games. Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Leicester City are all on 30 points.

Forest currently occupy the remaining relegation spot with a rather rotten goal difference of -32 following a difficult start in which a whole slew of new signings struggled to adapt.

Steady improvement followed but a run since February of just one win and three draws in 12 matches has sunk Steve Cooper's battlers back into trouble ahead of a vital game on Monday against Southampton.

Elsewhere, Leeds have suffered severe damage in their goals against column in their more recent matches.

In the month of April alone, the Yorkshire side shipped four goals to Arsenal, five to Crystal Palace, six to Liverpool, and four again to Bournemouth - and the last of those defeats spelled the end of Javi Gracia's short tenure at Elland Road.

The unmistakable Jabba the Hutt-like figure of Sam Allardyce has arrived as the Whites' white knight - but, with three of their last four fixtures coming against teams currently in the top six, he has his work cut out with a squad so low on confidence.

Leicester - who won the Premier League in 2016 and the FA Cup just two years ago - are, on the face of it, surprise relegation candidates.

However, poor transfer business has left the Foxes notably weaker at the back this season - and a slow start was compounded by a more recent run of just one point out of 27 during which the club dispensed of the services of Brendan Rodgers.

In such a tight battle, though, Leicester's comparatively favourable goal difference of -13 might yet be the decisive factor and new man Dean Smith will need to protect it.

West Ham also have the same goal difference of -13 and David Moyes's men have four more points to boot - but, following successive top seven finishes, this season must be regarded as something of a disappointment.

Indeed, despite the coming distraction of a Europa Conference League semi final, the Hammers are still be looking for another Premier League win to secure their place in the top flight for next season.

After all, the Londoners will want to avoid it from getting too nervous ahead of their final day fixture - which happens to be away at Leicester.

15	West Ham United	34	9	7	18	37	50	-13	34
16	Leicester City	34	8	6	20	46	59	-13	30
17	Leeds United	34	7	9	18	43	67	-24	30
18	Nottingham Forest	34	7	9	18	30	62	-32	30
19	Everton	34	6	11	17	27	52	-25	29
20	Southampton	34	6	6	22	28	60	-32	24

<⚽️>

	Championship	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
C	Burnley	45	28	14	3	84	35	+49	98
P	Sheffield United	45	27	7	11	71	38	+33	88
3	Luton Town	45	21	16	8	57	39	+18	79
4	Middlesbrough	45	22	8	15	83	55	+28	74
5	Coventry City	45	18	15	12	57	45	+12	69
6	Millwall	45	19	11	15	54	46	+8	68
7	Sunderland	45	17	15	13	65	55	+10	66
8	West Bromwich Albion	45	18	12	15	57	50	+7	66
9	Blackburn Rovers	45	19	9	17	48	51	-3	66

BURNLEY made an immediate return to the Premier League with a record seven games to spare as Vincent Kompany's team completely dominated the Championship.

The Clarets equalled the Championship record of 10 consecutive wins by taking three points from every league fixture between mid-November and mid-February.

And, following a Nathan Tella hat-trick in a 3-0 home win over Preston North End at the end of that sequence, Vincent Kompany's men were 17 points clear of third place with a game in hand.

Still, the unbeaten run went on beyond that and promotion was secured with a 2-0 win over second-placed Sheffield United at Turf Moor on Easter Monday.

There followed an uncharacteristic sequence of two points from nine which prevented a possible tilt at several outright Championship records.

Nevertheless, this merely allowed Burnley to wrap up the title in delicious fashion in the East Lancashire derby against Blackburn Rovers away at Ewood Park.

Manuel Benson delivered the decisive blow with a superb strike in a 1-0 win as Burnley were able to celebrate in style.

For their part, Sheffield United also make a fairly swift return to top-flight action after keeping the length of their absence down to just two seasons.

It looked as if the Blades might be wobbling when they lost four league games out of six between mid-February and mid-March.

But, in truth, Paul Heckingbottom's men maintained a clear gap to their most prominent chasers, Luton Town and Middlesbrough, and complimented their Championship form with an impressive run to the FA Cup semi finals.

Once that pleasant distraction ended in a respectable 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, the Yorkshire side got over the line with room to spare with a 2-0 home win against West Bromwich Albion.

Consequently, the Hatters and Boro must content themselves with a playoff spot - although at least they have avoided the complete dog-fight immediately behind them.

No fewer than five teams head into the final day with hopes of extending their season by finishing in fifth or sixth - and, until last week, the whole of the rest of the top half of the division were in with a shout.

Currently, Coventry City and Millwall sit in the box seats on 69 and 68 points respectively - but the Sky Blues finish the regular season away to a Boro side whose only home league defeat since October came against Burnley.

Meanwhile, the Lions face Blackburn who kept their top six chances alive on Monday with Hayden Carter's late equaliser against Luton.

Indeed, Sunderland, West Brom and Blackburn - all on 66 points - are the teams looking to gatecrash the top six with variable goal differences of +10, +7 and -3 respectively.

To stand any chance, though, they each must win their respective away fixtures against Preston, Swansea City and Millwall.

Meanwhile, matters at the bottom end of the division have now completely resolved themselves over the past week.

The bottom three - Reading, Blackpool and Wigan Athletic - have been relegated with the Tangerines first to go following a 3-2 home defeat to Millwall last Friday night.

Wigan's immediate return to the third tier was confirmed when a stoppage-time by Yakou Meite equaliser for Reading ensured the Latics would be prevented from taking their struggle into the final day.

Ultimately, though, even a win would not have been enough as third-bottom Reading were also relegated last night after 74-year-old Neil Warnock notched up another impressive achievement in his 36-year Football League managerial career.

Huddersfield Town were 23rd when Warnock took charge - but five wins and two draws from the last eight games, including a 1-0 success over Sheffield United last night, have lifted the West Yorkshire club all the way up to 18th.

It also means that Reading return to the third tier for the first time since 2002 - and their supporters can hold their board directly responsible.

On 4 April, the Royals agreed to accept a six-point deduction for failing to satisfy a business plan agreed after a historical breach of the Football League Profit and Sustainability limits.

And now there can be no doubt that those minus points have been a determining factor over whether the Berkshire club had any sort of chance on the final day.

18	Huddersfield Town	45	13	11	21	45	62	-17	50
19	Queens Park Rangers	45	13	11	21	44	69	-25	50
20	Rotherham United	45	11	16	18	49	60	-11	49
21	Cardiff City	45	13	10	22	41	55	-14	49
R	*Reading	45	13	11	21	46	66	-20	44
R	Blackpool	45	10	11	24	47	72	-25	41
R	**Wigan Athletic	45	10	14	21	38	65	-27	41

* Reading were deducted 6 points for breaching an EFL business plan
** Wigan Athletic were deducted 3 points for failing to pay players and staff on time

<⚽️>

	League One	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
P	Plymouth Argyle	45	30	8	7	79	46	+33	98
P	Ipswich Town	45	28	13	4	99	33	+66	97
3	Sheffield Wednesday	45	27	12	6	80	37	+43	93
4	Barnsley	45	26	8	11	80	45	+35	86
5	Bolton Wanderers	45	22	12	11	59	34	+25	78
6	Derby County	45	21	13	11	67	45	+22	76
7	Peterborough United	45	23	5	17	73	54	+19	67

PLYMOUTH ARGYLE and Ipswich Town left Sheffield Wednesday stranded in the ultra-competitive League One promotion race.

The Pilgrims remained top of the standings on 98 points following a 1-0 win over Burton Albion last weekend - while Ipswich, on 97, thrashed Exeter City 6-0.

Kieran McKenna's men were 5-0 at half time as his Tractor Boys made it 37 points from 39 since mid-February - and extended their League One-high tally to 99 goals.

The East Anglia outfit also beat Charlton Athletic 6-0 earlier in April, won 4-0 on four occasions at Portman Road, and 3-0 on seven occasions.

Yet, in order to become champions, they must get a better result at Fleetwood Town than Plymouth on the final day.

That is because Argyle still hold pole position in the title race having survived a mini-wobble in taking just seven points out of 15 in February.

Since then, though, Steven Schumacher's men have won seven out of eight - and the Devon club will be the cream of the crop for certain by beating Port Vale.

At one stage, it looked like Sheffield Wednesday might take advantage of the nerves shown by Plymouth - and, indeed, the Hillsborough club went top following a 23-match unbeaten run which included a sequence of 34 points out of 36.

But it was followed by a run of just one win in eight at the worst possible time - and, instead, the Owls must try their best in the playoffs having lost at that stage to Sunderland this time last year.

Also assured of the playoffs are Wednesday's South Yorkshire rivals Barnsley, as well as Bolton Wanderers - and the final place will be taken by Derby County or Peterborough United.

The Rams hold a two-point advantage and have a slightly better goal difference by three goals ahead of their final day fixture against Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Posh must win away at Barnsley to stand any chance of overhauling the East Midlands club who are spending their first season at this level since 1985-86.

At the bottom, already-relegated Forest Green Rovers have been well adrift of safety for some time - and they will surely be joined by Accrington Stanley.

Accrington not only need to beat Oxford United on the final day but must overturn a significant goal difference deficit on all three of the teams above them and hope that none gets even so much as a point.

Those three other teams still in trouble are Milton Keynes, Cambridge United and Morecambe, with MK currently the only side above the drop zone on goal difference.

That position means a win for MK away at Burton will almost certainly keep them out of the bottom four at the end of the season unless Morecambe beat Exeter by eight more goals.

Finally, Cambridge, who host Duncan Ferguson's Forest Green, are in the worst position of the trio. Mark Bonner's men are a point adrift of MK and Morecambe so will need to win to stand any chance of overhauling both for survival.

19	Oxford United	45	11	14	20	48	54	-6	47
20	Milton Keynes Dons	45	11	11	23	44	66	-22	44
21	Morecambe	45	10	14	21	45	75	-30	44
22	Cambridge United	45	12	7	26	39	68	-29	43
23	Accrington Stanley	45	10	11	24	38	76	-38	41
R	Forest Green Rovers	45	6	9	30	31	87	-56	27

<⚽️>

	League Two	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
C	Leyton Orient	45	26	12	7	60	33	+27	90
P	Stevenage	45	23	13	9	60	39	+21	82
3	Northampton Town	45	22	14	9	61	42	+19	80
4	Stockport County	45	22	12	11	64	36	+28	78
5	Carlisle United	45	20	15	10	65	42	+23	75
6	Salford City	45	22	9	14	72	53	+19	75
7	Bradford City	45	20	15	10	60	42	+18	75
8	Mansfield Town	45	20	12	13	70	55	+15	72

LONG-TIME leaders Leyton Orient took advantage of a strong start to return to League One for the first time since 2014-15 as deserved champions.

The Os sealed promotion back on 18 April despite losing 2-0 to Gillingham - and followed that up by beating Crewe Alexandra at home by the same scoreline to lift the title in E10.

Orient took 28 points out of the first 30 to set up their promotion charge before also going unbeaten for 12 games between the start of February and mid-April.

And, impressively, Richie Wellens's men have been top since October.

Stevenage join the Os in the third tier for the first time since 2013-14 with promotion coming only 12 months after the Hertfordshire outfit finished fourth-bottom of the Football League.

Additionally, the Boro earned a famous FA Cup comeback win away to Aston Villa in the third round in January with two goals in the last two minutes.

Certainly, it has been a fine season for manager Steve Evans and his men as he notches up another success to his chequered CV.

The third automatic promotion place remains up for grabs - and, for Northampton Town, there is an unavoidable dreaded feeling of deja vu at Sixfields.

Just like last season, the Cobblers are in third place heading into the final day - but, it all went wrong in 2021-22 despite victory over Barrow as Bristol Rovers overcame a goal difference deficit by beating relegated Scunthorpe United 7-0.

This time, Northampton hold a two-point advantage - but anything short of victory on the final day against Tranmere Rovers will allow Stockport County with a chance of avoiding the chaos of the playoffs by beating relegated Hartlepool United.

Northampton or Stockport are at least assured of a place in the top seven - while Carlisle United, Salford City and Bradford City look likely to take the remaining playoff spots.

The Cumbians travel to Sutton United, Salford host Gillingham and Bradford host Orient, all aware that a point will be good enough to maintain a chance of promotion.

Even then, defeat for either side might not matter as the only team which can take advantage are Mansfield Town - and the Stags must win at Colchester United while also making up a goal difference deficit.

At the other end of the table, rock-bottom Rochdale have dropped out of the Football League alongside Hartlepool, despite both of them winning last Saturday.

Hartlepool are no strangers to the National League having already spent four seasons at that level between 2016-17 and 2021-22 - and Crawley Town's upturn in form meant perennial strugglers Pools left it too late for survival this time.

Rochdale, though, have rather momentously lost League status for the first time for 102 years - and join an ever-growing graveyard of Greater Manchester-based clubs.

Bury and Macclesfield Town briefly disappeared off the football map altogether - while Oldham Athletic, Bolton Wanderers and Stockport have come perilously close to following them over the cliff edge. 

But, if there is any hope for Rochdale and indeed any other clubs currently in turmoil, it comes from Stockport.

The Hatters have a chance of League One football having recently been out of the Football League for 11 years including a period of six seasons in the sixth-tier National League North.

22	Crawley Town	45	11	13	21	47	69	-22	46
R	Hartlepool United	45	9	15	21	51	77	-26	42
R	Rochdale	45	9	10	26	45	69	-24	37

<⚽️>

Belgian Bullet Brecel slays maximum man Selby

WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

THE CRUCIBLE • 30-APR-01-MAY

[9]

LUCA BRECEL

18-15

MARK SELBY

[2]

1	6-2	• 77-0 (77), 79-39, 90-28 (90), 38-94 (54), 90-23 (67), 71-55, 9-66 (62), 70-6 (70)
2	3-6	• 0-134 (134), 126-14 (99), 12-96 (96), 50-67, 72-4 (72), 67-19 (67), 1-76 (61), 0-147 (147)  48-71
3	6-2	• 113-24 (113), 73-0, 101-35 (101), 141-0 (141), 35-86 (63), 56-78 (MS 54), 119-0 (119),  60-40
4	3-5	• 67-0 (67), 20-78 (78), 36-50, 0-122 (122), 0-81 (50), 0-95 (52), 66-2 (51), 112-0 (112)

LUCA BRECEL withstood a valiant Mark Selby comeback to become the first ever player from mainland Europe to win the World Snooker Championship.

The Belgian Bullet aptly completed his 18-15 victory with a century - but only after Selby had taken five frames on the spin in the final session to move just one behind at 16-15.

Earlier, Selby had made Crucible history with the first ever 147 break in a World Championship Final - and only the 14th ever at the venue.

That total also includes the contribution from Kyren Wilson who made a maximum in his first round match against Ryan Day to take a share of the £55,000 prize.

Surprisingly, though, the Final was played on Brecel's terms for the most part.

The 28-year-old from Dilsen-Stokkem played fluently from the first break-off and led 6-2 at the end of the opening session with runs of 77, 90, 67 and 70.

But, in a sign of things to come, Selby opened the Sunday evening session with a 134 total clearance for the first ton of the contest.

At first, the players merely traded frames and Brecel retained his four-frame advantage at 9-5 with three left before close of play to guarantee himself an overnight lead.

Gradually, though, Selby began to exert his authority with a 61 break to close back to 9-6 - and then, in the 16th frame, came history.

The possibility of a maximum quickly became apparent after Brecel's missed long red to the corner left the four-time champion with plenty of options and the black clear in both corner pockets.

Only one red down the left cushion appeared to be problematic - but, having left it until last, good positioning allowed Selby to get in behind it and roll it in.

From there, the 147 was never in much doubt and Selby himself admitted he felt surprisingly calm about it.

Brecel, for his part, congratulated his opponent graciously with a hug but the Belgian also appeared to have lost some focus.

In the 17th frame, his shot choice, while in keeping with his positive approach, was overly reckless - and Selby took advantage to reduce his deficit to 9-8.

Most observers rapidly made the 39-year-old favourite to complete the comeback on the final day.

After all, the Jester from Leicester previously had won three of his four world titles despite trailing overnight. Yes, Brecel really had appeared to have blown his chance.

Instead, though, a restful night brought the best out of the Bullet as, this time in the opening frame of the session, he shot out of the starting blocks with a century for his first of the match.

Brecel added another frame before back-to-back tons, including a 141 total clearance, stretched his lead out to five for the first time at 13-8.

Selby responded after the interval and won a couple of tighter frames to make it 13-10 - but the Belgian had still yet another century up his sleeve and closed out a thrilling session at 15-10 up.

The final chapter of the 17-day tournament therefore began with Brecel needing just three more frames for the title - and a 67 break in the opener soon reduced that to two.

But Selby was never going to be beaten without a fight - and, following a 78 break in frame 27, he unsurprisingly also took the scrappiest of the match despite needing several visits.

In fairness to Brecel, the Jester then did largely keep his opponent off the table for the next three frames, scoring 298 unanswered points to close the gap to one.

These were ominous signs for Brecel - and, at that late stage, Selby had probably again become favourite.

Indeed, the Jester was also first to get a chance in frame 32 before shocking the Crucible audience by missing a black off the spot.

And, while Brecel could not quite get over the line in a single visit, Selby soon missed a brown to the middle to offer the Belgian an easy restart.

One frame to go - and, with four chances to get it, the weight of pressure suddenly seemed to shift completely away from Brecel's shoulders.

For once, the Bullet kept it pretty simple to land his fifth ton of the day - and, with it, the biggest prize of them all.

Certainly, Brecel is exactly the sort of world champion which snooker needs right now following a difficult few months for the game as a whole.

His relaxed demeanour and down-to-earth nature give him obvious appeal to supporters who have been amused by stories of his off-table partying antics between matches.

On the table, nothing at times seemed safe with the unflustered Brecel regularly attempting doubles, occasional trebles and once even making a quadruple to keep a break going.

But, despite his still relatively young age, the Bullet has actually been a slow burner - and, in fact, he remains the youngest ever Crucible debutant from when he made his bow in 2012 aged 17.

Incredibly, until this year, Brecel had failed to win a single match at the venue in five attempts - though it would be fair to suggest he has now dealt with that particular bugbear over the past fortnight.

Nevertheless, as Brecel himself pointed out, it would have been all so different if he had lost yet again in his first round match against Ricky Walden.

After all, that encounter went all the way to a decider - and, with Brecel then going on to make two brilliant comebacks in his quarter final and semi final matches, he has played the biggest part in this edition of the World Snooker Championship becoming one of the more memorable of recent years.

True, there were not as many centuries this year as there were in 2021 or 2022 - but, in addition to the two maximums, there were four other breaks of 140+.

Remarkably, two of those were just the fifth and sixth 146s ever to be made in Crucible history.

Even more remarkably, the contributions both came from same player, Neil Robertson, in the same mini-session of four frames as he closed out his first round match against debutant Wu Yize.

For sure, the Thunder from Down Under was the highlight of my first ever visit to hallowed Sheffield venue.

Robertson surprisingly could not continue his form and he bowed out in the second round against another debutant Jak Jones.

Shaun Murphy came off the back of a strong season but did not even make it to the Last 16 after losing to Si Jiahui - while Judd Trump was another first round faller, defeated by Anthony McGill.

By contrast, defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan breezed through to the quarter finals, winning a grudge Last 16 match against Hossein Vafaei with a session to spare.

The Rocket then looked to be making light work of Brecel in the last eight - but he promptly collapsed from 10-6 up and lost 13-10 to the eventual champion.

At least Mark Allen made good on his promising season to reach his first Crucible semi final for 14 years.

In a torturous encounter against Selby, though, the Pistol was silenced as his more experienced opponent bogged the match down with a series of lengthy frames.

The semi final eventually finished 17-15 to Selby after more than 13 hours of play which continued in the final session until just before 1am on Sunday morning.

Conversely, the other semi final between Brecel and Si was simply a joy to watch with both players willing to throw caution to the wind in pursuit of victory.

Coincidentally, that match also ended 17-15 in Brecel's favour after the Belgian made a record-breaking comeback from 14-5 down by winning 11 frames on the bounce.

But the similarities between the two semi finals began and ended with the final score.

Ultimately, though, it was Brecel who made the biggest impression of all at this World Championship - and there can be no doubt either that he will have celebrated this one long and hard into the night.

CENTURIES  90
147 Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby
146 Neil Robertson (2)
143 Ali Carter
141 Luca Brecel
138 Neil Robertson, Jak Jones

137 John Higgins, Mark Allen

136 John Higgins

134 Ding Junhui, Stuart Bingham, John Higgins, Mark Selby
133 Pang Junxu, Kyren Wilson

132 Si Jiahui
131 Gary Wilson, Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy

130 Noppon Saengkham, Anthony McGill

128 John Higgins, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Luca Brecel
126 Mark Allen

125 Si Jiahui

124 John Higgins, Anthony McGill, Jak Jones

123 Matthew Selt, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby
122 Fan Zhengyi, Hossein Vafaei, Jak Jones, Si Jiahui, Mark Selby
121 David Gilbert

120 Kyren Wilson, Si Jiahui, Shaun Murphy

119 Anthony McGill, Jack Lisowski, Luca Brecel
118 Mark Williams
117 Hossen Vafaei, Luca Brecel

116 Ronnie O'Sullivan

114 John Higgins

113 Mark Williams, Luca Brecel (2)

112 Anthony McGill, Mark Selby (2), Luca Brecel (2)

110 Fan Zhengyi, Mark Selby, Anthony McGill

109 Gary Wilson, Mark Selby
108 Stuart Bingham, Kyren Wilson, Luca Brecel
107 Wu Yize (2), Ronnie O'Sullivan

106 Si Jiahui

105 Si Jiahui

103 Luca Brecel, Stuart Bingham, Si Jiahui, Mark Selby (2)

102 Jack Lisowski, Kyren Wilson, Shaun Murphy, Ronnie O'Sullivan, John Higgins, Si Jiahui

101 Mark Allen, Luca Brecel
100 Neil Robertson, Jak Jones (2), Luca Brecel, Mark Selby

Snooker finds itself in a terrible fix

SNOOKER will attempt to emerge from the shadow of a match-fixing crisis currently engulfing the game with the start of the World Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

In a dispiriting series of events, the governing body - the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) - suspended 10 Chinese players between October and January for a range of offences related to match-fixing.

These players included the 2021 UK Championship winner Zhao Xintong, who would have otherwise been ranked in the top 16, and the 2021 Masters champion Yan Bingtao.

Also suspended were Lu Ning, Li Hang, Zhao Jianbo, Bai Langning, Chang Bingyu, Zhang Jiankang, Chen Zifan, and Liang Wenbo.

Liang was never a particularly popular player on tour and is a convicted domestic abuser off the table - and, at the age of 36, the former UK Championship finalist is by far the most experienced of the cohort.

The much younger Chang posted a lengthy, now-deleted message on Chinese microblogging website Weibo, in which he accused Liang of making threatening telephone calls on the morning of a match ordering him to lose 4-1.

Chang duly lost by that exact scoreline to Jamie Jones at the Last 32 stage of the British Open in September.

Of course, there is the distinct possibility that some or all of the suspended players have acted under duress from a much wider mafia-led betting syndicate in the Far East.

After all, these young Chinese players are a long way from home on a tour which has not been able to return to their homeland since before the COVID-19 pandemic first erupted there three years ago.

As such, they can be considered particularly vulnerable to becoming victims of exploitation, perhaps even to extent that their lives or the lives of their family members back in China have been threatened.

Certainly, it is noticeable that top Chinese player Ding Junhui is not involved - and it is possible that his big reputation and career earnings have insulated him from the external pressures faced by his compatriots.

In the opinion of world number one, Ronnie O'Sullivan, snooker is in “the worst place it has ever been” with discontent on the tour on a range of issues beyond the match-fixing crisis, including the reduced calendar and prize money available since the pandemic.

O'Sullivan said: “We are playing for the winner gets £80,000 most weeks and the runner-up gets £35,000. It’s bang in trouble.

“Mark Allen has done well this year, Judd Trump did well a couple of years before that. A few others do alright. But for the rest, there is nothing there."

For their part, a World Snooker spokesperson provided the following response: "Post-COVID, we are committed to returning to China in 2023 and optimistic about that prospect."

However, it is unclear the extent to which the suspension of the 10 Chinese players has affected the dynamic of any negotiations with tournament organisers in China.

For the record, it is important to note that, at the time of writing, the players concerned have not been found to have broken any rules and remain suspended pending the result of an independent disciplinary tribunal.

Nevertheless, WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson has stated explicitly that the governing body has moved away from being merely in an investigatory position to acting now in the role of prosecution, and that each player has some sort of case to answer.

Last month, there was another bombshell as tour veteran Mark King was suspended amid allegations of irregular betting patterns during his 4-0 defeat to Joe Perry in the first round of the Welsh Open in February.

King has previously spoken publicly about his attendance at Gamblers Anonymous meetings to cope with his gambling addiction - but it is always possible that he has fallen into the trap of old habits.

Onto the draw - and defending champion O'Sullivan begins the tournament as favourite, as usual.

However, the seven-time winner had to withdraw from the World Snooker Tour Classic last month with a recurring elbow injury which needed hospital treatment - and he has played just 14 matches in 2023.

Indeed, it may be that O'Sullivan will have to wait another year for a record eighth world title - that is, if it comes at all.

Trump is another player scratching around for form - the Masters champion has featured in only one final in ranking events this season, losing a decider in the World Grand Prix to Allen.

Notably, the 33-year-old Bristolian also received a difficult draw against 2020 semi finalist Anthony McGill.

Instead, the in-form players during the 2022-23 campaign have been Allen, who also won the UK Championship and the Northern Irish Open, and 2005 winner Shaun Murphy.

The Magician warmed up for the big event by reaching the final of the Welsh Open before winning the Players Championship and the Tour Championship, all in the last couple of months.

But victory at the Crucible has never gone to the winner of the Tour Championship since that event was introduced to the calendar in 2019.

Meanwhile, the Pistol has only ever played a single semi final at the World Championship - and that was all the way back in 2009.

Experience counts for a lot at the Crucible with multi-session matches played over a marathon period of 17 days.

Therefore, it is difficult to look past the likes of four-time winners John Higgins and Mark Selby, both of whom are in the same quarter, and three-time champion Mark Williams.

Higgins's last world title was back in 2011 - but the Scot was runner-up three years in a row between 2017 and 2019, and he was in bullish mood ahead of this year's competition.

"People might think I'm a little bit deluded but I do think I've got one big one left in me," Higgins said.

At the other end of the scale, this year's World Championship features five debutants: Welshman Jak Jones, who faces Ali Carter, as well as a quartet of fresh Chinese faces - Pang Junxu, Fan Zhengyi, Wu Yize, and Si Jiahui.

Interestingly, Si already has history with his opponent Murphy after defeating the fourth seed in the first round of the 2021 UK Championship as a teenage amateur.

Following that match, Murphy stormed: "Amateur players should not be permitted to compete in professional tournaments" - even though he had entered the qualifiers of the Open golf as an amateur in 2019.

Elsewhere, among the players making their bow, Pang has drawn what promises to be a memorable encounter for him against O'Sullivan, while Fan and teenager Wu take on Allen and Australian left-hander Neil Robertson respectively.

Finally, Geordie snooker fans can feast upon a Tyneside derby between Wallsend-born 15th seed Gary Wilson and Elliot Slessor of Gateshead.

Wilson, who had a surprise run to the semi finals in 2019, had never previously been seeded for the Crucible - while Slessor will be making only his second appearance.

So this could be a cagey encounter then, especially as it will be played between two close friends - although hopefully it will prove to be a better match than that.

After all, it would be fair to say that snooker desperately needs some classic contests over the next two-and-a-bit weeks following the news of the last few months.

WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP

CRUCIBLE THEATRE, SHEFFIELD

15 April-1 May

		FIRST ROUND		Best of 19 frames
	[1]	Ronnie O'Sullivan	10-7	Pang Junxu
	[16]	Ding Junhui	6-10	Hossein Vafaei
	[9]	Luca Brecel	10-9	Ricky Walden
	[8]	Mark Williams	10-5	Jimmy Robertson
	[5]	Judd Trump	6-10	Anthony McGill
	[12]	Jack Lisowski	10-7	Noppon Saengkham
	[13]	Robert Milkins	10-9	Joe Perry
	[4]	Shaun Murphy	9-10	Si Jiahui
	[3]	Mark Allen	10-5	Fan Zhengyi
	[14]	Stuart Bingham	10-4	David Gilbert
	[11]	Ali Carter	6-10	Jak Jones
	[6]	Neil Robertson	10-3	Wu Yize
	[7]	Kyren Wilson	10-5	Ryan Day
	[10]	John Higgins	10-3	David Grace
	[15]	Gary Wilson	10-8	Elliot Slessor
	[2]	Mark Selby	10-8	Matthew Selt
		LAST 16		Best of 25 frames
	[1]	Ronnie O'Sullivan	13-2	Hossein Vafaei
	[9]	Luca Brecel	13-11	Mark Williams	[8]
		Anthony McGill	13-8	Jack Lisowski	[12]
	[13]	Robert Milkins	7-13	Si Jiahui
	[3]	Mark Allen	13-4	Stuart Bingham	[14]
		Jak Jones	13-7	Neil Robertson	[6]
	[7]	Kyren Wilson	2-13	John Higgins	[10]
	[15]	Gary Wilson	7-13	Mark Selby	[2]
		QUARTER FINALS		Best of 25 frames
	[1]	Ronnie O'Sullivan	10-13	Luca Brecel	[9]
		Anthony McGill	12-13	Si Jiahui
	[3]	Mark Allen	13-10	Jak Jones
	[10]	John Higgins	7-13	Mark Selby	[2]
		SEMI FINALS		Best of 33 frames
	[9]	Luca Brecel	17-15	Si Jiahui
	[3]	Mark Allen	15-17	Mark Selby	[2]

Index 2022

INDEX 2022

POLITICS
UK political crises
27.07  Stuck in the middle with you
11.09  That was the week that was
30.10  Yet more hard times ahead
US mid-term elections
14.11  Democrats defy expectations in US mid-term elections

FOOTBALL
World Cup
20.11  The big World Cup preview blog
03.12  Rashford and Foden help England dump out Wales
12.12  England fall to France as Morocco make history
19.12  Final: Sealed with a kiss
World Cup qualifiers
31.03  Bale keeps the Welsh World Cup dream alive
07.06  Wales end 64-year wait against weary Ukraine
Domestic football
30.04  Manchester City or Liverpool - who will blink first?
04.08  Premier League preview: Haaland signing sends Man City clear

OTHER
Snooker
15.04  Days of Thunder at the Crucible
04.05  Ronnie O'Sullivan - the greatest showman in snooker
Eurovision
19.05  Ryder restores British pride as Europe shows solidarity with Ukraine
Ice hockey
28.05  Team GB lose place at ice hockey top table
Cricket
15.06  Bairstow stokes the fire for recovering England
16.09  Reinvigorated England turn the tide
Formula 1
06.07  Sainz shines at Silverstone in maiden F1 win

Pele, the first King of football, dies

FOOTBALL legend Pelé died on Thursday at the age of 82 following a battle against colon cancer. 

The Brazilian catapulted himself on the world stage as a teenage phenomenon in 1958, and transcended his sport thereafter. 

He remains the only player to have won the World Cup three times - and, in 2000, was named as Player of the Century by FIFA. 

At his best, defences simply could not live with Pelé - he possessed skill, pace, and strength, could hit a powerful shot with either foot, and leapt like a salmon. 

Indeed, perhaps the best-remembered moment in England involving Pelé at a World Cup came in the 1970 tournament when he made a towering jump at the far post and directed a header towards the bottom corner in a group match against the Three Lions. 

In response, England's World Cup-winning goalkeeper Gordon Banks produced that now iconic save. 

Notably, though, Brazil fashioned a similar move two weeks later in the World Cup Final against Italy - and, on that occasion, Pelé found the net to make it 1-0 with the last of his 12 goals in World Cup finals. 

Pelé had, of course, started young. At the 1958 World Cup, aged 17, he was a relative unknown and did not make an appearance until the third group game against the Soviet Union when he became the then-youngest player in finals history. 

The teenager provided an assist on debut but really announced himself on the world stage in the semi finals as Brazil beat France in a 5-2 thrashing which included a 23-minute second half hat-trick by the Santos striker. 

In the final, Brazil won 5-2 again, against hosts Sweden, as Pelé made it five goals for the tournament with a brace. 

Next, though, came two frustrating World Cup tournaments in the 1960s, as the young forward became a marked man. 

In 1962, Pelé only played the first couple of games before suffering a thigh injury while attempting a classic long-range shot, although Brazil retained the title. 

However, there was no such consolation at the 1966 World Cup in England as Pelé was subjected to a number of brutal fouls from the Bulgaria and Portugal defenders - and the Seleção were dumped out in the group stages. 

Four years later at the 1970 World Cup, Brazil - in response - had built their strongest ever team. 

Pelé, by then aged 29, was in his prime - and, even in a deeper role, he would carry the ball from midfield areas to set up the likes of Jairzinho, Rivellino, and Tostao. He also still contributed four goals. 

Of course, the crowning moment in 1970 came when, after a flowing team move, Pelé played a blind pass straight into Carlos Alberto's running trajectory - and, without breaking stride, the latter fiercely struck the ball in the bottom corner to make it 4-1. 

With a third World Cup win out of four, FIFA allowed Brazil to retain the Jules Rimet trophy for perpetuity - while the tournament in Mexico, broadcast for the first time in glorious technicolour, also secured Pelé's worldwide legacy. 

Thereafter, Pelé's biggest moments of the 1970s came in exhibition football in places as far flung as Hong Kong where he once scored a hat-trick as his club, Sao Paulo-based Santos, came from behind to beat Newcastle United 4-2. 

In 1973, Santos made the last of their semi-regular visits to England where they played Fulham and, bizarrely, Plymouth Argyle - who actually won 3-2. 

Later, Pelé attempted to popularise football in the United States by joining the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League (NASL) but the competition suffered a sharp decline following his retirement in 1977. 

Pelé starred as himself as one of the players in the hit 1981 film Escape To Victory and, inevitably - with such a high profile - eventually engaged in the murky arena of Brazilian politics. 

Named Sports Minister by President Fernando Henrique Cardoso for a three-year period between 1995 and 1998, it was a role in which Pelé was clearly never at ease. 

Meanwhile, his subsequent advertisement of Viagra, a drug to assist with erectile disfunction, also caused him to suffer some rather unmerited, if predictable, mockery. 

Worst of all, though, some members of younger generations had, by the time of his death, begun to besmirch Pelé's football achievements - although, in this regard, he also did not help himself. 

Pelé claimed to have scored 1,283 goals in 1,366 matches but many have disputed his count on the basis that he included goals scored in friendlies or matches against semi-professional and even amateur teams. 

For the record, Wikipedia shows Pelé as having scored 775 goals in 840 official games - however, this far more veriable statistic results in a ratio which is just about as prolific. 

At his death, Pelé was still Brazil's record goalscorer with 77 goals in 92 caps, having only recently been joined on that total by Neymar at the 2022 World Cup. 

In other words, Pelé was a true football great whichever way you look at it. He helped to coin a phrase recognised throughout football - The Beautiful Game - or O Jogo Bonito in Portuguese, which itself serves an appropriate epitaph for the man. 

Pelé was the Beautiful Game - and the Beautiful Game was Pelé.

World Cup 2022 Final: Sealed with a kiss

▪️ WORLD CUP FINAL ▪️

▪️ 18-December ▪️ 3pm GMT

ARGENTINA 3 Messi 23 pen, 108, Di Maria 36

FRANCE 3 Mbappe 80 pen, 81, 118 pen

▪️ After extra time. Argentina won 4-2 on penalties.

ARGENTINA ▪️ E Martinez, Molina (Montiel 90), Otamendi, Romero, Tagliafico (Dybala 120+1), De Paul (Paredes 102), Fernandez, MacAllister (Pezzella 116), Di Maria (Acuna 64), Alvarez (La Martinez 103), Messi (c) ▪️ Subs not used Armani, Foyth, Rulli, Palacios, Correa, Almada, Gomez, Rodriguez, Li Martinez ▪️ Booked Fernandez, Acuna, Montiel, Parades, E Martinez

FRANCE ▪️ Lloris (c), Kounde (Disasi 120+1), Varane (Konate 113), Upamecano, Hernandez (Camavinga 71), Tchouameni, Rabiot (Fofana 96), Griezmann (Coman 71), Dembele (Kolo Muani 41), Mbappe, Giroud (Thuram 41) ▪️ Subs not used Pavard, Guendouzi, Veretout, Mandanda, Saliba, Areola ▪️ Booked Rabiot, Giroud, Thuram

▪️ Attendance 88,956 at the Lusail Iconic Stadium ▪️ Referee Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

PENALTIES ▪️ 0-1 Mbappe, 1-1 Messi, 1-1 Coman (saved), 2-1 Dybala, 2-1 Tchouameni (missed), 3-1 Paredes, 3-2 Kolo Muani, 4-2 Montiel

ARGENTINA won the World Cup for a third time after beating France on penalties in a thrilling Final at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Qatar. 

The legendary Lionel Messi finally got his hands on the trophy which he craved most, stealing an iconic kiss while picking up the Golden Ball award as Player of the Tournament. 

But, at the end of 16 years of World Cup toil, it surely should have been easier than this. 

After all, for most of the first 90 minutes, Argentina were in control and went into the interval with a 2-0 lead. 

Midway through the first half, Ousmane Dembele paid dearly for getting the wrong side of Angel Di Maria - and Messi dispatched the resultant penalty. 

Then, 13 minutes later, La Albiceleste doubled their advantage with a brilliant team goal from an attack initiated and completed by Di Maria. 

France were dreadful in the first half - truly dreadful - as they failed to record a single shot, win a single corner, or even have a single touch in the opposition box. 

Head coach Didier Deschamps took drastic action as Dembele and Olivier Giroud were hauled off after just 41 minutes in favour of Randal Kolo Muani and Marcus Thuram. 

Nevertheless, the second half seemed as if it was simply drifting towards a straightforward Argentina victory until, with just over 10 minutes left, Nicolas Otamendi was caught out by Kolo Muani. 

Otamendi's clumsy challenge offered a lifeline to Les Bleus - and Kylian Mbappe squeezed the ball past Emiliano Martinez from the penalty spot. 

Amazingly, 97 seconds later, it was 2-2 as Mbappe struck a delightful volley after playing a one-two with Thuram. 

In a sub-plot, the race for the Golden Boot had heated right up - Messi had moved on to six goals while Mbappe's rapid-fire brace put him on seven. 

But, despite Messi stinging the fingers of Hugo Lloris with a blistering effort in the last minute of stoppage time, the match became eighth World Cup Final to require extra time. 

The extra time period was the best spell of the game as 35-year-old Messi helped Argentina find a much-needed second wind. 

At first, the South Americans were blocked twice in quick succession by Bayern Munich centre-back Dayot Upamecano. 

Eventually, though, the pressure told - and, after Lloris could only parry a fierce drive from Lautaro Martinez, Messi did just enough to force the ball over the line to draw back level with Mbappe on seven goals. 

However, there was yet another twist as France poured forward again and Gonzalo Montiel threw out an arm to block Mbappe's effort. 

A second penalty for France produced a third goal for Mbappe as he sent Emiliano Martinez the wrong way to become only the second man after Sir Geoff Hurst to score a hat-trick in a World Cup Final. 

Still, the chances came at both ends of the pitch in a manic finish as Emiliano Martinez brilliantly stuck out his left leg to deny Kolo Muani who had raced clean through. 

Argentina broke immediately - but, after Lautaro Martinez skewed his header badly wide, a third penalty shoot-out in a World Cup Final became an inevitability. 

Ultimately, that meant 23-year-old Mbappe picked up the Golden Boot with a face like thunder as France failed from 12 yards. 

Mbappe himself did not fail, of course - finding the net for the third time from the spot and a fourth time altogether. 

But, in a sign of things to come, Martinez had got a hand to the ball - and, after Messi levelled with consummate ease, the Aston Villa goalkeeper saved a poor effort from Kingsley Coman. 

Substitute Paulo Dybala made it 2-1 to Argentina - then, in front of a torrent of noise from thousands of Argentinians, Aurelien Tchouameni put his penalty wide of the post. 

Leandro Paredes stroked home a third successful kick for the Argentines out of three - and, though Kolo Muani scored to keep France in with a chance, Montiel - the man guilty of conceding the late penalty - coolly finished the job. 

Argentina players, fans and officials exploded into an orgy of unconfined joy - La Albiceleste are top of the world for the first time in 36 years. 

And, for all the talk of a winter World Cup spoiling the European club football season, it was the team of a nation enjoying the height of summer who were victorious. 

Overall, on the pitch at least, this was an excellent World Cup. 

For a start, there were 172 goals at an average of 2.69 per game, the highest ever total in a World Cup and best average since 1994. 

There were plenty of memorable games, both in the group stage and knockout rounds, only four red cards, a reasonably decent England run, and a fair few surprises including a first African team in a semi final. 

Then there was this amazing six-goal Final, which provided a lovely ending to a World Cup career for Messi. 

At the same, though, there were also off-the-field issues for FIFA to contend with - even beyond the well-worn, and well-deserved, criticism over human rights. 

Reports of supporters being unable to access the stadium in time for kick-off regularly blighted the tournament. 

Meanwhile, on more than a couple of occasions, attendances announced by the organisers exceeded the stadium capacity, casting doubt on any sort of official statements. 

Nevertheless, at least FIFA has pledged to review their stupid decision to use three-team groups scheduled from the 48-team 2026 World Cup onwards following a dramatic conclusion to this group stage. 

That tournament in three-and-a-half years will take place in United States, Mexico and Canada - so will also cause the world governing body fewer headaches than the last few editions hosted in South Africa, Brazil, Russia, and Qatar. 

But, regardless of that, one thing is for certain - defending champions Argentina surely once again will be there, and once again will be backed by a phenomenal wall of noise. 

All that was missing this time was the ticker tape. 

WORLD CUP 2022

THE FULL RESULTS

GROUP A	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) NETHERLANDS	2	1	0	5	1	+4	7
(Q) SENEGAL	2	0	1	5	4	+1	6
ECUADOR	1	1	1	4	3	+1	4
QATAR	0	0	3	1	7	-6	0

(Q) ■ NETHERLANDS and SENEGAL qualified for the Last 16

20-Nov	16:00	QATAR	0-2	ECUADOR	Al Bayt, Al Khor
BBC				E Valencia 16 pen, 31
21-Nov	16:00	SENEGAL	0-2	NETHERLANDS	Al Thumama, Doha
ITV				Gakpo 84, Klaassen 90+9
25-Nov	13:00	QATAR	1-3	SENEGAL	Al Thumama, Doha
BBC		Muntari 78		Dia 41, Diedhiou 48 Dieng 84
25-Nov	16:00	NETHERLANDS	1-1	ECUADOR	Khalifa, Al Rayyan
ITV		Gakpo 6		E Valencia 49
29-Nov	15:00	ECUADOR	1-2	SENEGAL	Khalifa, Al Rayyan
ITV		Caicedo 67		Sarr 44 pen, Koulibaly 67
29-Nov	15:00	NETHERLANDS	2-0	QATAR	Al Bayt, Al Khor
ITV		Gakpo 26, De Jong 49

GROUP B	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) ENGLAND	2	1	0	9	2	+7	7
(Q) UNITED STATES	1	2	0	2	1	+1	5
IRAN	1	0	2	4	7	-3	3
WALES	0	1	2	1	6	-5	1

(Q) ■ ENGLAND and UNITED STATES qualified for the Last 16

21-Nov	13:00	ENGLAND	6-2	IRAN	Khalifa, Al Rayyan
BBC		Bellingham 35, Saka 43, 62 Sterling 45+1, Rashford 71 Grealish 89		Taremi 65, 90+13 pen
21-Nov	19:00	UNITED STATES	1-1	WALES	Ahmad bin Ali, Al Rayyan
ITV		Weah 36		Bale 82 pen
25-Nov	10:00	WALES	0-2	IRAN	Ahmad bin Ali, Al Rayyan
BBC				Cheshmi 90+8 Rezaeian 90+11
25-Nov	19:00	ENGLAND	0-0	UNITED STATES	Al Bayt, Al Khor
ITV
29-Nov	19:00	WALES	0-3	ENGLAND	Ahmad bin Ali, Al Rayyan
BBC				Rashford 50, 68, Foden 51
29-Nov	19:00	IRAN	0-1	UNITED STATES	Al Thumama, Doha
BBC				Pulisic 38

GROUP C	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) ARGENTINA	2	0	1	5	2	+3	6
(Q) POLAND	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
MEXICO	1	1	1	2	3	-1	4
SAUDI ARABIA	1	0	2	3	5	-2	3

(Q) ■ ARGENTINA and POLAND qualified for the Last 16

22-Nov	10:00	ARGENTINA	1-2	SAUDI ARABIA	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
ITV		Messi 10 pen		Al-Shehri 48 S Al-Dawsari 53
22-Nov	16:00	MEXICO	0-0	POLAND	Stadium 974, Doha
BBC
26-Nov	13:00	POLAND	2-0	SAUDI ARABIA	Education City, Al Rayyan
ITV		Zielinski 39, Lewandowski 82
26-Nov	19:00	ARGENTINA	2-0	MEXICO	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
ITV		Messi 64, Fernandez 87
30-Nov	19:00	POLAND	0-2	ARGENTINA	Stadium 974, Doha
BBC				MacAllister 46 Alvarez 67
30-Nov	19:00	SAUDI ARABIA	1-2	MEXICO	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
BBC		Al-Dawsari 90+5		Martin 47, Chavez 52

GROUP D	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) FRANCE	2	0	1	6	3	+3	6
(Q) AUSTRALIA	2	0	1	3	4	-1	6
TUNISIA	1	1	1	1	1	0	4
DENMARK	0	1	2	1	3	-2	1

(Q) ■ FRANCE and AUSTRALIA qualified for the Last 16

22-Nov	13:00	DENMARK	0-0	TUNISIA	Education City, Al Rayyan
ITV
22-Nov	19:00	FRANCE	4-1	AUSTRALIA	Al Janoub, Al Wakrah
BBC		Rabiot 27, Giroud 32, 71 Mbappe 68		Goodwin 9
26-Nov	10:00	TUNISIA	0-1	AUSTRALIA	Al Janoub, Al Wakrah
BBC				Duke 23
26-Nov	16:00	FRANCE	2-1	DENMARK	Stadium 974, Doha
ITV		Mbappe 61, 86		Christensen 68
30-Nov	15:00	AUSTRALIA	1-0	DENMARK	Al Janoub Al Wakrah
BBC		Leckie 60
30-Nov	15:00	TUNISIA	1-0	FRANCE	Education City, Al Rayyan
BBC		Khazri 58

GROUP E	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) JAPAN	2	0	1	4	3	+1	6
(Q) SPAIN	1	1	1	9	3	+6	4
GERMANY	1	1	1	6	5	+1	4
COSTA RICA	1	0	2	3	11	-8	3

(Q) ■ JAPAN and SPAIN qualified for the Last 16

23-Nov	13:00	GERMANY	1-2	JAPAN	Khalifa, Al Rayyan
ITV		Gundogan 33 pen		Doan 75, Asano 83
23-Nov	16:00	SPAIN	7-0	COSTA RICA	Al Thumama, Doha
ITV		Olmo 11, Asensio 21 Torres 31 pen, 54, Gavi 74 Soler 90, Morata 90+3
27-Nov	10:00	JAPAN	0-1	COSTA RICA	Ahmad bin Ali, Al Rayyan
ITV				Fuller 81
27-Nov	19:00	SPAIN	1-1	GERMANY	Al Bayt, Al Khor
BBC		Morata 62		Fullkrug 83
01-Dec	19:00	JAPAN	2-1	SPAIN	Khalifa, Al Rayyan
ITV		Doan 48, Tanaka 51		Morata 11
01-Dec	19:00	COSTA RICA	2-4	GERMANY	Al Bayt, Al Khor
ITV		Tejeda 58, Neuer 70 og		Gnabry 10, Havertz 73, 85 Fullkrug 89

GROUP F	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) MOROCCO	2	1	0	4	1	+3	7
(Q) CROATIA	1	2	0	4	1	+3	5
BELGIUM	1	1	1	1	2	-1	3
CANADA	0	0	3	2	7	-5	0

(Q) ■ MOROCCO and CROATIA qualified for the Last 16

23-Nov	10:00	MOROCCO	0-0	CROATIA	Al Bayt, Al Khor
ITV
23-Nov	19:00	BELGIUM	1-0	CANADA	Ahmad bin Ali, Al Rayyan
BBC		Batshuayi 44
27-Nov	13:00	BELGIUM	0-2	MOROCCO	Al Thumama, Doha
BBC				Saiss 73, Aboukhlal 90+2
27-Nov	16:00	CROATIA	4-1	CANADA	Khalifa Al Rayyan
BBC		Kramaric 36, 70, Livaja 44 Majer 90+4		Davies 2
01-Dec	15:00	CROATIA	0-0	BELGIUM	Ahmad bin Ali, Al Rayyan
BBC
01-Dec	15:00	CANADA	1-2	MOROCCO	Al Thumama, Doha
BBC		Aguerd 40 og		Ziyech 4, En-Nesyri 23

GROUP G	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) BRAZIL	2	0	1	3	1	+2	6
(Q) SWITZERLAND	2	0	1	4	3	+1	6
CAMEROON	1	1	1	4	4	0	4
SERBIA	0	1	2	5	8	-3	1

(Q) ■ BRAZIL and SWITZERLAND qualified for the Last 16

24-Nov	10:00	SWITZERLAND	1-0	CAMEROON	Al Janoub, Al Wakrah
ITV		Embolo 48
24-Nov	19:00	BRAZIL	2-0	SERBIA	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
BBC		Richarlison 62, 73
28-Nov	10:00	CAMEROON	3-3	SERBIA	Al Janoub, Al Wakrah
ITV		Castelletto 29, Aboubakar 63 Choupo-Moting 66		Pavlovic 45+1 S Milinkovic-Savic 45+3 Mitrovic 53
28-Nov	16:00	BRAZIL	1-0	SWITZERLAND	Stadium 974, Doha
ITV		Casimero 83
02-Dec	19:00	SERBIA	2-3	SWITZERLAND	Stadium 974, Doha
ITV		Mitrovic 26, Vlahovic 35		Shaqiri 20, Embolo 44 Freuler 48
02-Dec	19:00	CAMEROON	1-0	BRAZIL	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
ITV		Aboubakar 90+2

GROUP H	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) PORTUGAL	2	0	1	6	4	+2	6
(Q) SOUTH KOREA	1	1	1	4	4	0	4
URUGUAY	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
GHANA	1	0	2	5	7	-2	3

(Q) ■ PORTUGAL and SOUTH KOREA qualified for the Last 16

24-Nov	13:00	URUGUAY	0-0	SOUTH KOREA	Education City, Al Rayyan
BBC
24-Nov	16:00	PORTUGAL	3-2	GHANA	Stadium 974, Doha
ITV		Ronaldo 65 pen, Felix 78 Leao 80		A Ayew 73 Bukari 89
28-Nov	13:00	SOUTH KOREA	2-3	GHANA	Education City, Al Rayyan
BBC		Cho Gue-sung 58, 61		Salisu 24, Kudus 34, 68
28-Nov	19:00	PORTUGAL	2-0	URUGUAY	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
ITV		Fernandes 54, 90+3 pen
01-Dec	15:00	GHANA	0-2	URUGUAY	Al Janoub, Al Wakrah
BBC				De Arrascaeta 26, 32
01-Dec	15:00	SOUTH KOREA	2-1	PORTUGAL	Education City, Al Rayyan
BBC		Kim Young-gwon 27 Hwang Hee-chan 90+1		Horta 5

■ LAST 16

03-Dec	15:00	NETHERLANDS	3-1	UNITED STATES	Khalifa, Al Rayyan
BBC		Depay 10, Blind 45+1 Dumfries 81		Wright 76
03-Dec	19:00	ARGENTINA	2-1	AUSTRALIA	Ahmad bin Ali, Al Rayyan
BBC		Messi 35, Alvarez 57		Fernandez 77 og
04-Dec	15:00	FRANCE	3-1	POLAND	Al Thumama, Doha
BBC		Giroud 44, Mbappe 74, 90+1		Lewandowski 90+9 pen
04-Dec	19:00	ENGLAND	3-0	SENEGAL	Al Bayt, Al Khor
ITV		Henderson 38 Kane 45+3, Saka 57
05-Dec	15:00	JAPAN	1-1	CROATIA	Al Janoub, Al Wakrah
BBC		Maeda 43	aet	Perisic 55	Croatia won 3-1 on pens
05-Dec	19:00	BRAZIL	4-1	SOUTH KOREA	Stadium 974, Doha
ITV		Vinicius 7, Neymar 13 pen Richarlison 29, Paqueta 36		Paik Seung-ho 76
06-Dec	15:00	MOROCCO	0-0	SPAIN	Education City, Al Rayyan
ITV			aet		Morocco won 3-0 on pens
06-Dec	19:00	PORTUGAL	6-1	SWITZERLAND	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
ITV		Ramos 17, 51, 67, Pepe 33 Guerreiro 55, Leao 90+2		Akanji 58

■ QUARTER FINALS

09-Dec	15:00	CROATIA	1-1	BRAZIL	Education City, Al Rayyan
BBC		Petkovic 117	aet	Neymar 105+1	Croatia won 4-2 on pens
09-Dec	19:00	NETHERLANDS	2-2	ARGENTINA	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
BBC		Weghorst 83, 90+11	aet	Molina 35, Messi 73 pen	Argentina won 4-3 on pens
10-Dec	15:00	MOROCCO	1-0	PORTUGAL	Al Thumama, Doha
ITV		En-Nesry 42
04-Dec	19:00	ENGLAND	1-2	FRANCE	Al Bayt, Al Khor
ITV		Kane 54 pen		Tchouameni 17, Giroud 78

■ SEMI FINALS

13-Dec	19:00	ARGENTINA	3-0	CROATIA	Lusail Iconic, Lusail
ITV		Messi 34 pen, Alvarez 39, 69
14-Dec	19:00	FRANCE	2-0	MOROCCO	Al Bayt, Al Khor
BBC		Hernandez 5, Kolo Muani 79

■ SCORERS 172 goals in 64 matches ▪️ 2.69 per match

8 Kylian Mbappe (France)

7 Lionel Messi (Argentina)

4 Julian Alvarez (Argentina), Olivier Giroud (France)

3 Cody Gakpo (Netherlands), Alvaro Morata (Spain), Goncalo Ramos (Portugal), Marcus Rashford (England), Richarlison (Brazil), Bukayo Saka (England), Enner Valencia (Ecuador)

2 Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon), Salem Al-Dawsari (Saudi Arabia), Giorgian De Arrascaeta (Uruguay), Ritsu Doan (Japan), Breel Embolo (Switzerland), Youssef En-Nesyri (Morocco), Bruno Fernandes (Portugal), Niclas Fulkrug (Germany), Cho Gue-sung (South Korea), Kai Havertz (Germany), Harry Kane (England), Andrej Kramaric (Croatia), Mohammed Kudus (Ghana), Rafael Leao (Portugal), Robert Lewandowski (Poland), Aleksandar Mitrovic (Serbia), Neymar (Brazil), Mehdi Taremi (Iran), Ferran Torres (Spain), Wout Weghorst (Netherlands)

1 Zakaria Aboukhlal (Morocco), Saleh Al-Shehri (Saudi Arabia), Manuel Akanji (Switzerland), Takuma Asano (Japan), Marco Asensio (Spain), Andre Ayew (Ghana), Gareth Bale (Wales), Michy Batshuayi (Belgium), Jude Bellingham (England), Daley Blind (Netherlands), Osman Bukari (Ghana), Moises Caicedo (Ecuador), Casimero (Brazil), Jean Charles Castelletto (Cameroon), Luis Chavez (Mexico), Rouzbeh Cheshmi (Iran), Jean-Eric Choupo-Moting (Cameroon), Andreas Christensen (Denmark), Achraf Dari (Morocco), Alphonso Davies (Canada), Frenkie De Jong (Netherlands), Memphis Depay (Netherlands), Angel Di Maria (Argentina), Boulaye Dia (Senegal), Famara Diedhiou (Senegal), Bamba Dieng (Senegal), Mitchell Duke (Australia), Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands), Joao Felix (Portugal), Enzo Fernandez (Argentina), Phil Foden (England), Remo Freuler (Switzerland), Keysher Fuller (Costa Rica), Gavi (Spain), Serge Gnabry (Germany), Craig Goodwin (Australia), Jack Grealish (England), Raphael Guerreiro (Portugal), Ilkay Gundogan (Germany), Josko Gvardiol (Croatia), Hwang Hee-chan (South Korea), Jordan Henderson (England), Theo Hernandez (France), Ricardo Jorge da Luz Horta (Portugal), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal), Wahbi Khazri (Tunisia), Kim Young-gwon (South Korea), Davy Klaassen (Netherlands), Randal Kolo Muani (France), Mathew Leckie (Australia), Marko Livaja (Croatia), Alexis MacAllister (Argentina), Daizen Maeda (Japan), Nahuel Molina (Argentina), Lovro Majer (Croatia), Henry Martin (Mexico), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Serbia), Mohammed Muntari (Qatar), Dani Olmo (Spain), Mislav Orsic (Croatia), Paik Seung-ho (South Korea), Lucas Paqueta (Brazil), Strahinja Pavlovic (Serbia), Pepe (Portugal), Ivan Perisic (Croatia), Bruno Petkovic (Croatia), Christian Pulisic (United States), Adrien Rabiot (France), Ramin Rezaeian (Iran), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Romain Saiss (Morocco), Mohammed Salisu (Ghana), Ismail Sarr (Senegal), Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland), Carlos Soler (Spain), Raheem Sterling (England), Ao Tanaka (Japan), Aurelien Tchouameni (France), Yeltsin Tejeda (Costa Rica), Vinicius Junior (Brazil), Dusan Vlahovic (Serbia), Timothy Weah (United States), Piotr Zielinski (Poland), Hakim Ziyech (Morocco)

3 own goals Nayed Aguerd (Canada) v Morocco, Manuel Neuer (Germany) v Costa Rica, Enzo Fernandez (Argentina) v Australia

■ RED CARDS

Wayne Hennessey (Wales) v Iran

Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon) v Brazil

Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands) v Argentina (QF)

Walid Cheddira (Morocco) v Portugal (QF)

Thanks, as ever, to everyone who has enjoyed my reports this year. Merry Christmas to all.