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Brazil's World Cup Round of 32 meeting with Japan on Monday comes with the chance for revenge for Carlo Ancelotti's squad and a test of how far he has taken his team since a Tokyo collapse early in his tenure.The five-times world champions were beaten 3-2 by Japan in October 2025 after leading 2-0 in a friendly, conceding three goals in less than 20 minutes as the hosts claimed their first win over Brazil in 14 meetings.It was another reminder of the job Ancelotti had inherited after leaving Real Madrid with only a year to turn a disjointed team into World Cup challengers.Brazil were wobbling when the Italian arrived, about to complete their worst South American qualifying campaign, finishing fifth after working under four different managers.With only five international breaks before selecting his 26-man squad, Ancelotti used the last three to broaden Brazil's horizons, taking on opponents from Asia, Europe and Africa.The Asia leg began smoothly enough. Brazil thrashed South Korea 5-0 in Seoul and looked on course for another comfortable win in Tokyo after racing into a 2-0 lead inside a little over half an hour.However, Japan roared back in the second half and Brazil were left with an uncomfortable souvenir. Monday's match in Houston, however, will be a very different affair.’Perhaps… they will be even more motivated,’ Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu told reporters after his side's 1-1 draw with Sweden secured second place in Group F behind the Netherlands.’We will be playing against a Brazil side that is very keen to win. I'm looking forward to it.’Japan will be much changed from the side that stunned Brazil, with injuries depriving Moriyasu of captain Wataru Endo, wingers Kaoru Mitoma and Takefusa Kubo and forward Takumi Minamino, who scored in the October victory.Brazil also look different. The defence that started in Tokyo has disappeared from Ancelotti's World Cup squad entirely, and the team have been improving after opening the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Morocco.Back-to-back wins have sharpened the mood, Vinicius Jr has scored four goals and Neymar has returned to the national team after three years out because of persistent injuries.’We're not perfect. We can improve. For example, our pace on the ball. We can be quicker,’ Ancelotti said after Brazil beat Scotland 3-0.’But I'm pleased because the team has improved a lot since the first match. Now it's a knockout competition. We need to show real grit.’The fixture also carries a deeper historical thread. Brazil have long been a reference point for Japanese football, a relationship embodied by Zico.After success with Flamengo, Udinese and Brazil, he came out of retirement to play for Sumitomo Metal, later Kashima Antlers, from 1991 to 1994, helping shape Japan's developing professional game. He later managed Kashima and now works as a technical adviser at the club.Zico also coached Japan from 2002 to 2006, winning the 2004 Asian Cup and guiding them to the 2006 World Cup, where Brazil beat them 4-1 in the group stage to seal Japan's elimination.So both teams will have old scores to settle in Houston. Source link
People gather near the CITIC Tower in Beijing on Friday, after an eyewitness reported plane debris at the…
The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip will reopen in both directions next week, the newly-appointed administrator of the Palestinian territory said yesterday at the launch of US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace. The reopening of the crossing is part of the Gaza truce plan announced by Trump in October, but it has remained closed so far. “I am pleased to announce the Rafah crossing will open next week in both directions,” Ali Shaath, a former Palestinian Authority deputy minister, said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “For Palestinians in Gaza Rafah is more than a gate, it is a lifeline and symbol of opportunity. Opening Rafah signals that Gaza is no longer closed to the future and the world,” Shaath said. As part of the truce plan, Shaath heads a committee of 15 Palestinian technocrats to oversee the day-to-day administration of Gaza. There was no immediate comment from Israel, which has controlled the Rafah crossing since 2024. Source link
Bangladesh have been replaced by Scotland for next month’s Twenty20 World Cup after the South Asian side refused to travel to co-hosts India, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said yesterday. The decision follows weeks of uncertainty, during which the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) repeatedly said it would not play its scheduled matches in India, citing safety concerns following soured political relations between the neighbours. Bangladesh had asked the ICC to move their games to the tournament co-hosts Sri Lanka instead, but the governing body rejected the demand, dismissing any security threat to the team.“Following a meeting on Wednesday, the Bangladesh Cricket Board had been given a 24-hour time frame to confirm whether its team would participate in India as scheduled,” the ICC said in a statement. “As no confirmation was received within the deadline, the ICC proceeded in line with its established governance and qualification processes to identify a replacement team.”Scotland have replaced Bangladesh in Group C, joining England, Nepal, Italy and West Indies. “Scotland are the next-highest ranked T20 international team that had originally missed T20 World Cup qualification. They are currently ranked 14th, which in fact is ahead of competing teams Namibia, the United Arab Emirates, Nepal, the United States, Canada, Oman and Italy,” the ICC added. Scotland’s national cricket body said they had accepted the ICC’s invitation to compete in their fifth straight T20 World Cup.“This is an exciting opportunity for Scotland’s players to compete on the global stage in front of millions of supporters,” Cricket Scotland chief executive Trudy Lindblade said in a statement. “We also acknowledge this opportunity has arisen out of challenging and unique circumstances. Our squad have been training for some weeks in preparation for upcoming tours and are now preparing to arrive in India imminently to acclimatise to local conditions.” Reuters has contacted the BCB for comment. Last month, hundreds of people protested near Bangladesh’s High Commission in New Delhi after Hindu factory worker Dipu Chandra Das was beaten and set on fire in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district by a crowd that accused him of making derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad. A total of 12 people were arrested in connection with his death. The incident worsened relations between India and its neighbour, with ties already strained after Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to New Delhi following protests against her.Political tensions have spilled into cricket. Bangladesh bowler Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from this year’s Indian Premier League despite signing with its Kolkata franchise. Bangladesh responded by banning IPL broadcasts in the country and demanding to play World Cup matches in Sri Lanka. The standoff mirrors previous tensions in South Asian cricket. For the Champions Trophy last year, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) stuck to its policy of not touring Pakistan because of the strained political ties between the bitter neighbours, who play each other only in ICC events.Like for the 2023 Asia Cup in Pakistan, a ‘hybrid model’ was agreed on under which India were allowed to play their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai to salvage the tournament. Under the agreement running until 2027, Pakistan will play in a neutral venue for any ICC event, including the T20 World Cup where they are scheduled to play their matches in Sri Lanka.The 20-team World Cup will begin on February 7 with the first match involving hosts India and the USA in Mumbai. Source link
The backlash follows the ICC’s confirmation on Saturday that Scotland would take Bangladesh’s spot in Group C, after…
US President Donald Trump has approved emergency declarations for ten southeastern states, as a powerful winter storm continues to batter large parts of the country. ‘I have just approved Emergency Declarations for Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and West Virginia’, President Trump said via Truth Social platform. ‘We are working closely with FEMA, Governors, and State Emergency Management teams to ensure the safety of everybody. Stay Safe, and Stay Warm!’, he added. The president had previously approved emergency declarations for other states in the storm's path, including South Carolina and Virginia. These declarations allow for the temporary lifting of certain spending restrictions, enabling state governments to expedite resource provision and request federal assistance. At least 20 US states have declared a state of emergency, including Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Snow and ice cover an area of more than 2,000 kilometers across the United States, with the storm's impact expected to extend from Texas to New England over the weekend, a distance exceeding 3,000 kilometers.Large areas of the South are experiencing increasing power outages due to ice accumulation, which has downed trees and damaged power lines. Warnings have been issued that hundreds of thousands of people could be without power for several days.The storm has led to the cancellation of more than 13,000 flights and the closure of sections of highways due to hazardous weather conditions.A Source link
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