World Cup: Neymar suffers injury scare in Brazil win vs Serbia

DOHA -- Richarlison scored twice as tournament favorites Brazil beat Serbia, 2-0, in their World Cup opener on Thursday, but the win was soured by an ankle injury to captain Neymar.

The record five-time winners had toiled at times in the first half but improved after the break at the Lusail Stadium and were rewarded when Tottenham Hotspur striker Richarlison followed in to score the opener in the 62nd minute after a Vinicius Junior shot was saved.

Vinicius then set up Richarlison to score again in the 73rd minute with a stunning acrobatic effort that is surely the goal of the World Cup so far.

However, Neymar was then forced off with a sprained ankle that the Brazilian team doctor said would be assessed over the next 48 hours.

Injuries have hampered Neymar at the tournament in the past and Brazil will hope his World Cup has not ended already, although coach Tite struck a positive tone after the game.

"You can be certain that Neymar is going to play in the World Cup," said Tite.

Thursday's result continues Brazil's superb record in the World Cup group stage, in which their last defeat came in 1998 against Norway.

Tite's side are now already on top of Group G ahead of Switzerland, who beat Cameroon 1-0 earlier and who Brazil meet next.

"We played well, especially in the second half when our opponents started to tire and we took advantage of that," said Richarlison, who called it "a boyhood dream come true" to score the goals.

The scoreline was the same as when these sides met in the group stage in 2018 but Brazil are determined to do far better than four years ago, when they lost to Belgium in the quarter-finals.

They have come to Qatar as the favorites for a sixth title, two decades after their last victory.

Other results in the opening round of matches in Qatar served as a warning, with Argentina suffering a shock defeat to Saudi Arabia at the same stadium and Germany losing to Japan.

Brazil would have known not to take Serbia lightly, but it still would have been a huge shock for them to lose at a ground where they intend to return for the final on December 18.

Serbia coach Dragan Stojkovic said his team "fell away physically" and added that injuries to key players, including Juventus duo Dusan Vlahovic and Filip Kostic, hindered his side.

"We came here with a lot of injuries to deal with affecting key players. That is the way it is and we have to face this fact," he said.

Acrobatic

Tite sent out a very attack-minded side, with Neymar in support of Richarlison while Raphinha and Vinicius occupied the wings and Lucas Paqueta added creativity in midfield.

Serbia did their best to frustrate Neymar, who come close to scoring direct from an early corner that would have raised the roof at the magnificent Lusail Stadium, where the stands were filled with yellow and green.

The best Brazilian moments in the first half came when Thiago Silva's defence-splitting pass found Vinicius in the box, only for goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic to thwart the Real Madrid man, and when Raphinha played a one-two with Paqueta before his shot was saved.

Barcelona winger Raphinha was involved again within a minute of the restart when he hounded Nemanja Gudelj out of possession but was again denied by the goalkeeper.

However, Serbia's resistance was broken just after the hour mark.

The warning had come when Alex Sandro lashed a left-foot shot off an upright and two minutes later the goal arrived.

Neymar set up Vinicius for a shot that Milinkovic-Savic got a hand to, but the ball broke to Richarlison who followed in to score.

Serbia responded by bringing on Vlahovic, but Brazil had now found their stride and the second goal when it came was worthy of the biggest stage.

A Vinicius cross with the outside of his right boot was controlled by Richarlison who then spun around and leapt to score with an outrageous acrobatic effort.

Brazil could have scored more, with Casemiro seeing a shot come back off the crossbar, but this was a promising start, as long as Neymar's injury is nothing serious.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Injured Ronaldo limps off in Portugal qualifier

Portugal paid the price for poor finishing after their captain and top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo was forced off the pitch with an apparent hamstring problem during their Euro 2020 Group B qualifier against Serbia on Monday.

A 1-1 home draw, which followed a 0-0 stalemate against Ukraine on Friday, left European champions Portugal on two points and Ronaldo on the sidelines after he limped off in the 30th minute of an absorbing contest.

The 34-year-old pulled up after sprinting for the ball and was replaced by midfielder Pizzi with Serbia leading 1-0 through Dusan Tadic's early penalty.

Central midfielder Danilo equalised with a long-range effort in the 42nd minute but the home side missed a string of chances as they lacked Ronaldo's killer instinct against a rugged Serbian defence.

Ronaldo appeared to be pointing towards his right hamstring as he received treatment near the corner flag.

Speaking later he said: "We played quite well and created lots of chances. We played better than against Ukraine, but when the ball doesn't want to go in, it simply doesn't go in."

Serbia coach Mladen Krstajic played down the impact of Ronaldo's misfortune as he was quick to point out that his injury-hit side missed several key players.

"As far as whether Portugal missed Ronaldo, you must know that we were missing lots of players -- and we do not have a huge selection to choose from, like some countries do," he said.

Ronaldo, whose club Juventus visit Ajax Amsterdam in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on April 10, was making only his second Portugal appearance since last year's World Cup. 

(Writing by Ken Ferris and Zoran Milosavljevic ; Editing by Martyn Herman)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

FIFA World Cup: Shaqiri snatches last-gasp win for Swiss over Serbia

KALININGRAD, Russia - A thunderous strike by Granit Xhaka and a last-minute breakaway goal by Xherdan Shaqiri gave Switzerland a 2-1 win over Serbia on Friday in a swashbuckling World Cup Group E match tinged with Balkan rivalry.

Serbia went ahead with an Aleksandar Mitrovic header after five minutes to the delight of their fervent supporters at the Kaliningrad stadium.

Xhaka silenced the Serbian contingent in the 52nd minute, however, when he rifled home a loose ball in spectacular style from 25 metres before Shaqiri broke away to win the game at the death.

Xhaka and Shaqiri are among several members of the Swiss squad who are of Kosovar heritage, which added an extra dimension to the match.

Serbia refuses to recognise the independence of its former province Kosovo which broke away 10 years ago.

There was also controversy in the 65th minute when Mitrovic appeared to be held down as he went for a cross but the referee waved play on and there was no video review.

The result left Brazil, 2-0 winners over Costa Rica, top with four points, ahead of Switzerland on goal difference with Serbia on three.

Brazil and Serbia meet in their final game while the Swiss face Costa Rica, already eliminated after losing their first two games.

"We had a rollercoaster ride. They went 1-0 up and we found our balance in the second half," Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic told reporters.

Serbia made a flying start and Mitrovic forced Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer into an early save with a close-range header.

Sommer was powerless, however, in the fifth minute when Nemanja Matic won the ball and found Dusan Tadic, whose cross was met with a soaring header from Mitrovic.

With Mitrovic proving a handful for the Swiss defence, Serbia threatened to over-run their opponents and missed another chance when a corner flew across the face of goal and Dusko Tosic just failed to make contact.

Switzerland came right back into the game seven minutes after halftime thanks to Xhaka's fulminating strike after a rebound fell nicely into his path.

Xhaka was almost upstaged by Shaqiri who clipped the crossbar with a curling, dipping shot from the unlikeliest of angles and the match turned into a pulsating end-to-end affair which was brilliantly settled by Shaqiri.

Switzerland cleared a Serbia attack and a through pass sent the diminutive forward scuttling away before he slotted the ball neatly into the far corner.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Easy win brings tough question for Team USA

RIO DE JANEIRO - The U.S. women's basketball team faced their sternest test of the Rio Games and tougher questions after beating Serbia 110-84 on Wednesday to remain on course for a sixth successive gold.

After winning their opening two games by an average of 52 points, the Americans had to settle for a more modest 26-point margin of victory against the 14th ranked Serbs.

But in the wake of a third consecutive blowout, and their 44th successive victory in the Olympics, American players were once again facing uneasy questions about the lack of depth, quality and competitiveness in the women's game and its place on the Olympic program.

"I don't even know how to answer anymore," said Diana Taurasi who scored a game high 25 points. "Would it (be) better if we lost by 50?

"We have 12 women who dedicate their lives to the game of basketball year around. To knock us for doing that?

"That's a bit disrespectful, I would say."

After two close losses to Spain and Canada, the Serbs (0-3) looked determined to at least make the U.S. work for the win.

In the end no amount of grit could save the 2015 EuroBasket champions from succumbing to the same fate as every other team that has gone up against the U.S. at the last six Olympics.

"They didn't win the European championship for no reason," said Angel McCoughtry.

"It might look like a big margin, but it doesn't feel like it. Those games are hard."

Having scored more than 100 points in all three games so far, the U.S. received offensive contributions up and down their lineup with all 12 players scoring, led by Taurasi who made six three-pointers.

In other Group B action, Spain eased past China 89-68.

(Reporting by Steve Keating; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Masked children steal grade book

Police in Serbia have arrested two schoolboys they accuse of having stormed a Belgrade classroom masked and armed with a plastic pistol and making off with their teacher's grade book.

Police said in a statement on Wednesday they had apprehended two unidentified Grade 7 pupils and seized a replica handgun, a knife, a balaclava cap and pair of sunglasses after the incident on Tuesday during school hours in the Belgrade suburb of Kotez.

School crime and violence have soared in Serbia since the war years of the 1990s when societies across old socialist Yugoslavia frayed under the pressure of gangsterism, corruption and nationalism.

Authorities in Serbia have responded by installing video surveillance and deploying constables at some schools.

"It appears that a third boy agreed with two friends that they would grab the grade book because of his poor grades," a police officer, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.

The pair were charged with violent behavior, jeopardizing public safety and destruction and damage of property, police said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Dominant U.S. crush Serbia to win World Cup

MADRID - The United States romped to their fifth basketball World Cup title after overcoming an early deficit to overwhelm the tournament's surprise package Serbia 129-92 in a one-sided final on Sunday.

An athletic U.S. team, missing top NBA players such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant, finished the tournament in grand style with a 9-0 record to retain the title they won in Istanbul in 2010.

Serbia made a bright start and took a 15-7 lead in the opening few minutes but that was as good as it got for them after U.S. captain James Harden instigated a 15-0 run which put the champions in the driving seat.

The Americans nailed 11 of 16 three-pointers in the first half and took a 67-41 lead into the locker room as playmaker Kyrie Irving also found his range, while centres DeMarcus Cousins and Kenneth Faried dominated the boards.

Irving scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the opening two quarters, when his team mates stifled out Serbia playmaker Milos Teodosic at the other end of the court.

"Those first five minutes really knocked us back tonight and then the whole team gelled," U.S. coach Mike Kryzewski told a news conference.

"Obviously Kyrie and James (Harden) were amazing but this has been a great group to work with and I am proud of them.

"This is as good for me as anything, national championships and the Olympics. This group and what they did was very special for me."

The Serbs, who reached the final with three upset wins in the knockout stages, fought hard to keep the score respectable in the second half but had no reply for either lethal long-range shooting or superior rebounding by the United States.

The Balkan nation will have had no regrets though after securing their first World Cup podium finish as an independent nation, having also won the 2009 European championship silver medal.

Thousands of Serb fans watched the game on giant video screens in the capital Belgrade and other cities while many of them paraded in the streets with national flags after the game despite heavy rainfall and a thumping loss.

"I am so proud of my players and so honoured to have been their coach for these two months," Serbia coach Aleksandar Djordjevic said.

"I want to thank them for their effort, professionalism and most of all their heart.

"We have to congratulate the U.S. team as they were the best team in this competition. They deserved this gold medal and they really (played us off the court) tonight."

The relentless Harden added 23 points for the U.S. who had a total of eight players in double digits, while forwards Nemanja Bjelica and Nikola Kalinic stood out for Serbia with 18 points each.

European champions France won the bronze medal with a dramatic 95-93 win over Lithuania on Saturday.



(Writing by Zoran Milosavljevic; editing by Martyn Herman)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com