Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Gareth Southgate issues Harry Kane, Harry Maguire update after Iran victory

sportsmole.co.uk, 21 November 2022, 18:27
England manager Gareth Southgate has played down concerns over Harry Maguire and Harry Kane following their opening World Cup 2022 win over Iran in Group B.

The Three Lions marched to a comprehensive 6-2 victory at the Khalifa International Stadium, but the game was marred by several stoppages for injuries.

Within the first few minutes of the match, Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand inexplicably tried to carry on after a sickening clash of faces with Morteza Pouraliganji, but he was eventually taken off.

England were then dealt two concerns of their own in the second half, as Maguire went down on the turf before gingerly walking off in the 70th minute to be replaced by Eric Dier.

Kane was also the victim of a poor challenge from Pouraliganji and appeared to awkwardly jar his knee in the turf, and the Three Lions captain remained down for a couple of minutes.

Kane was taken off for Callum Wilson with 14 minutes remaining, and Southgate was inevitably asked about the pair by reporters after the game.

The Three Lions boss alleviated fears over the pair's fitness, as he confirmed that Maguire's withdrawal was illness-related rather than concussion-related.

Meanwhile, Kane - who has been bedevilled by ankle problems in the past - was not an enforced change, and Southgate is confident that his captain has not sustained anything serious.

"Harry Maguire felt ill. (He) flagged it before the goal. There was no point carrying on but other than that no causes for concern," Southgate said, as quoted by The Athletic.

"Other than that haven't seen anything of concern (about injuries). I think Harry Kane is fine. It obviously looked like a bad tackle but he carried on in the game. We took him off really because we felt it was a moment we could do that."

Maguire was also asked by the publication if he felt OK after the game, to which the Manchester United centre-back replied "should be".

Southgate's decision to start Bukayo Saka in Monday's World Cup opener was justified, with the Arsenal man scoring twice and picking up the man of the match award.

Saka struck England's second goal after Jude Bellingham's header broke the deadlock, and Raheem Sterling was also on target before the half-time whistle blew.

Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish came off the bench to add to England's tally in the second half alongside Saka, although Mehdi Taremi ended the game with a brace of his own.

Taremi's second came from the penalty spot in the 10th minute of second-half injury time, and Southgate - who set a new major tournament record of nine wins in charge of England - also admitted that his side's loss of concentration in the dying embers left him "fed up".

England will endeavour to make it two for two in the 2022 World Cup when they face the USA in their second Group B match on Friday evening.

Top News

25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Millwall will look to extend their eight-game unbeaten run when they travel to Fratton Park for Wednesday's Championship clash with Portsmouth. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk No doubt one of the most eagerly-awaited battles of the 2024-25 Champions League, six-time winners Liverpool and 15-time champions Real Madrid collide in Wednesday's mouthwatering Anfield showdown. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona will be aiming to return to winning ways when they host Brest in the Champions League on Tuesday night. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich will welcome Paris Saint-Germain to Allianz Arena in the Champions League on Tuesday night. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk At risk of a scarcely believable sixth straight loss in all competitions, a wounded Manchester City take on Feyenoord in the Champions League league phase on Tuesday. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fresh from a first Premier League victory in weeks, Arsenal's next Champions League quest on Tuesday night sees them visit a Sporting Lisbon side who have won a staggering 14 home games on the spin. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Eredivisie leaders PSV Eindhoven welcome Shakhtar Donetsk to the Philips Stadion on matchday five of the Champions League this wednesday. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Strong starters Monaco welcome an in-form Benfica side to the Stade Louis II on matchday five of the Champions League on Wednesday night. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have reportedly included defender Kieran Tierney in their travelling squad for Tuesday night's Champions League clash at Sporting Lisbon. 25 November 2024 talksport.com Luka Modric has named a star-studded six-a-side team of footballing legends but there's no room for Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City's Champions League encounter with Feyenoord at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday is "a must-win for many reasons", Citizens expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City have received a double injury boost ahead of Tuesday night's Champions League clash with Feyenoord at the Etihad. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Resuming their debut Champions League campaign, Aston Villa will tackle Serie A giants Juventus on Wednesday evening, when Unai Emery must make a couple of big selection calls. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Istanbul Basaksehir and Petrocub Hincesti are winless in this season's Conference League heading into Wednesday's matchday four encounter at the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reeling after a run of five consecutive defeats, an unprecedented run of poor form under manager Pep Guardiola, who watched his team suffer a heavy 4-0 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League last weekend. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reeling after a run of five consecutive defeats, an unprecedented run of poor form under manager Pep Guardiola, who watched his team suffer a heavy 4-0 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League last weekend. 25 November 2024 talksport.com A non-league side have been able to see the funny side after their pitch was left underwater by Storm Bert. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal are reportedly prepared to reject any offers for William Saliba, who is attracting interest from Real Madrid. 25 November 2024 talksport.com Premier League clubs are not renowned for their patience when firing managers, and we've just had our second sacking of 2024/25. 25 November 2024 talksport.com Liverpool have the chance to go 11 points clear of Premier League champions Manchester City when the two sides meet this weekend. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly involved in the race for the services of Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap, with Chelsea keen on the player. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Turkish giants Besiktas are reportedly interested in signing Fulham winger Adama Traore in the January transfer window. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Champions League rookies Aston Villa will seek a home hat-trick on Wednesday evening, when they host Italian giants Juventus. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sepp van den Berg has suggested that he has no regrets over leaving Liverpool for Brentford during the summer transfer window. 25 November 2024 talksport.com Mohamed Salah has conceded he's 'probably more out than in' when it comes to staying at Liverpool beyond this season. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ed Sheeran has taken to social media to apologise to Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim after interrupting his interview with Sky Sports. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Napoli forward Victor Osimhen is reportedly attracting interest from a new club ahead of the January transfer window. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola is confident that his Manchester City side can both quickly turn their fortunes around and enjoy a successful season in spite of their recent dip in form. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim singled out Joshua Zirkzee and Jonny Evans after Sunday's 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town in the Premier League. 25 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Hoping to end a 15-year sequence without a win against Real Madrid, Liverpool butt heads with the reigning Champions League champions at Anfield on Wednesday evening.
Thu 28 Nov, 17:45
EL
Qarabag Qarabag
-
sch
Lyon Lyon
Thu 28 Nov, 20:00
EL
Nice Nice
-
sch
Rangers Rangers