MOSCOW (AP) — The Latest on Saturday at the World Cup (all times local):
10:15 p.m.
Egypt striker Mohamed Salah has been presented with a giant birthday cake at his team’s hotel in Chechnya.
Video shows Salah’s teammates singing “Happy Birthday” in the lobby and a cake in the colors of the Egyptian and Chechnyan flags with a golden boot on top.
Salah, who turned 26 on Friday, was on the bench for Egypt’s 1-0 loss to Uruguay. He injured his shoulder playing for Liverpool in last month’s Champions League final. He participated in a training session Saturday, and the Egyptian soccer association suggested that he could be fit for Wednesday’s match against Russia in St. Petersburg in Group A.
Salah was named the Premier League’s player of the year this past season.
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9:47 p.m.
Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik had an injury scare during the team’s visit to a dolphin park in Sochi.
The team said Milik slipped and fell but was not injured. The team dismissed reports on Russian media that the Napoli player had to undergo tests to see if he had fractured his hand in the fall.
Poland took advantage of its day off to visit the park in the resort city by the Black Sea. The team posted photos of players watching a dolphin show.
Poland will make its World Cup debut against Senegal on Tuesday in Moscow.
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9:25 p.m.
Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr has handed a World Cup debut to 19-year-old goalkeeper Francis Uzoho for his team’s World Cup opener against Croatia.
Uzoho, who broke through this season with Spanish club Deportivo La Coruna, will have to keep powerful Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic at bay.
Croatia’s midfield is powered by Real Madrid’s Luka Modric and Barcelona star Ivan Rakitic. Coach Zlatko Dalic has left Modric’s Madrid teammate Mateo Kovacic on the bench.
Victory for either side will send it to the top of Group D after Iceland earlier held Argentina to a 1-1 draw.
Lineups:
Croatia: Danijel Subasic, Sime Vrsaljko, Ivan Strinic, Ivan Perisic, Dejan Lovren, Ivan Rakitic, Andrej Kramaric, Luka Modric, Mario Mandzukic, Ante Rebic, Domagoj Vida.
Nigeria: Francis Uzoho, Bryan Idowu, Wilfred Ndidi, William Ekong, Leon Balogun, Oghenekaro Etebo, Odion Ighalo, John Obi Mikel, Victor Moses, Abdullahi Shehu, Alex Iwobi.
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9 p.m.
Kasper Schmeichel’s slew of saves made Yussuf Yurary Poulsen’s opportunistic second-half goal stand up in a 1-0 victory over Peru.
The win allowed Denmark to keep pace with favored France in Group C. The French defeated Australia 2-1 earlier in the day.
Poulsen squeezed his goal between charging Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and the left post in the 59th minute after collecting a pass from star midfielder Christian Eriksen during an odd-man rush.
Appearing in the World Cup for the first time in 36 years, Peru had overwhelming fan support at Mordovia Arena and the bulk of scoring chances, including a late-first-half penalty shot that Christian Cueva sent sailing over the crossbar.
Peru striker Paolo Guerrero made his much-anticipated appearance as a substitute with about 30 minutes to go and had two scoring chances, one on a saved header and one on a clever back-heel that rolled just wide.
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8:55 p.m.
FIFA says a banner displayed at the World Cup in support of women in Iran being allowed to watch games was approved before the tournament.
Though FIFA rules prohibit political statements at games, soccer’s governing body says the banner was a “social appeal” displayed during Iran’s 1-0 win over Morocco on Friday.
FIFA has worked with Iranian authorities toward relaxing Iran’s ban since 1979 of women attending male-only sports events.
The slogans “#NoBan4Women” and “Support Iranian Women to Attend Stadiums” were held aloft at both ends of the St. Petersburg stadium.
FIFA says the banner was intended to “express a social appeal as opposed to a political slogan and was therefore not prohibited.”
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8:40 p.m.
Belgium coach Roberto Martinez believes the Red Devils could have defenders Thomas Vermaelen and Vincent Kompany back from injury during the group stage, but he’s waiting until the final deadline before setting the team’s 23-man roster.
Martinez says Vermaelen could be ready for the final two group games, and the target for Kompany is Belgium’s last group game against England. Belgium opens the tournament Monday against Panama.
Vermaelen did not travel with the team to Sochi and remained in Moscow to continue rehabilitating a hamstring injury he sustained last month with Barcelona.
Kompany injured his groin in a warm-up match against Portugal earlier this month, continuing a long history of injuries. Martinez said the team will wait until Sunday’s roster deadline before making a final decision on Kompany.
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8:30 p.m.
Peruvian striker Paolo Guerrero was brought into the match against Denmark in the 62nd minute with his team trailing 1-0.
The 34-year-old Guerrero is Peru’s top goal scorer in history. He did not start because of his lack of action in recent months after a doping ban.
Guerrero’s suspension was overturned a few weeks ago by a Swiss judge.
Peru coach Ricardo Gareca substituted Guerrero for Edison Flores.
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8:25 p.m.
Denmark’s Yusuf Yurary Poulsen opened the scoring against Peru in the 59th minute after taking a pass from Chistian Eriksen.
Poulsen finished on the right of goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, disappointing more than 20,000 Peru supporters at Mordovia Stadium in Saransk.
Peru wasted an opportunity only two minutes earlier with midfielder Christian Cueva, who had also squandered a penalty kick in the end of the first half.
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8 p.m.
Peru was awarded a penalty late in the first half of its World Cup match against Denmark after a video review, but Christian Cueva squandered the opportunity by sailing his penalty shot over the crossbar.
Referee Bakary Gassama of Gambia went to the video after Cueva fell in the penalty box after an intervention from Denmark’s Yurary Poulsen.
Cueva hesitated on his approach before firing his shot high, to the disappointment of more than 20,000 Peruvian fans at Mordovia Arena in Saransk. Teammates consoled him when he left the field as the match went to halftime tied 0-0.
Earlier Saturday, VAR was used to award a penalty to France, which converted the kick in its 2-1 win over Australia.
Denmark lost Willian Kvist to injury in the 35th minute after a collision with Peru’s Jefferson Farfan. Kvist was replaced by Lasse Schone.
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6:30 p.m.
Switzerland’s coach and captain have told fans not to expect an entertaining game against Brazil on Sunday — their goal is to deny the Brazilians space in the Group E match.
Coach Vladimir Petkovic says “I’m not here to have a lovely game, but to win.”
Brazil had a crushing 7-1 loss to Germany in the World Cup semifinals four years ago and the players have conceded that the Swiss — ranked sixth in world — will be hard to break down.
Swiss captain Stephan Lichtsteiner says defenders would be deployed to shut down Brazil stars Neymar and Coutinho.
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6:20 p.m.
Peru coach Ricardo Gareca has opted not to start star striker Paolo Guerrero in the opening World Cup match against Denmark.
The 34-year-old Guerrero is his country’s all-time leading scorer with 35 goals but has missed a lot of action because of a doping ban that was lifted only weeks ago by a Swiss judge.
Starting up front for Peru will be veteran Jefferson Farfan, supported by Edison Flores, Andre Carrillo.
Denmark coach Age Hareide has star midfielder Christian Eriksen lending his attacking prowess to a forward line of Pione Sisto, Yusseuf Poulsen and Nicolai Jorgensen. Denmark captain Simon Kjaer makes his 76th international appearance, while Kasper Schmeichel, son of former Manchester United star goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, is making his World Cup debut.
Lineups:
Peru: Pedro Gallese, Alberto Rodriguez, Miguel Trauco, Christian Cueva, Jefferson Farfan, Renato Tapia, Christian Ramos, Louis Advincula, Andre Carrillo, Yoshimar Yotun, Edison Flores.
Denmark: Kasper Schmeichel, Simon Kjaer, Andreas Christensen, Williams Kvist, Thomas Delaney, Nicolai Jorgensen, Christian Eriksen, Henrik Dalsgaard, Jens Stryger, Yussuf Poulsen, Pione Sisto.
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6:05 p.m.
Ridiculing Russia’s national soccer team may soon be against the law.
With Russia hosting the World Cup, lawmaker Vitaly Milonov is working on a bill to impose fines on anyone insulting players or the coach. Milonov is known for championing legislation against gay “propaganda” toward minors.
Milonov’s office says he will present the bill to colleagues at the State Duma next week. While Milonov is from Russia’s dominant party, it’s unclear how many other lawmakers would support the provocative idea.
Milonov told Russian news website RBK that the fine could be 10,000 rubles, to send a message to “stop mocking our own guys” and the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda quotes him as saying “They represent our state.”
After a long losing streak, the national team and its coach were the butt of Russian jokes and a popular parody song going into the World Cup.
Defying expectations, the team trounced Saudi Arabia 5-0 in the tournament’s opening match.
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5:55 p.m.
Lionel Messi had a penalty kick saved as Argentina drew 1-1 with a typically tough Iceland making an impressive World Cup debut on Saturday.
Messi failed to restore his team’s lead when his 64th-minute spot-kick to Hannes Halldorsson’s right was at a good height for the goalkeeper to get two strong hands behind the ball.
Argentina opened the scoring in the 19th with a world-class finish by Sergio Aguero, spinning away from a defender to fire a rising left-foot shot.
Iceland levelled four minutes later via Alfred Finnbogason’s volley.
The tiny Nordic island team created several first-half chances despite having only around 25 percent possession, and put up a solid wall to deny Argentina’s waves of second-half attacks.
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5:35 p.m.
Lionel Messi’s penalty woes have continued. Goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson has saved a Messi penalty kick to keep Iceland level with Argentina midway through the second half. Halldorsson went to his right and easily parried Messi’s shot.
Messi, the five-time FIFA player of the year, has struggled from the spot in some crucial moments. He famously (and briefly) retired from international football after missing when Argentina fell to Chile in the 2016 Copa America final.
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5 p.m.
A prominent group which campaigns against racism and anti-gay abuse in sports has accused St. Petersburg authorities of having it evicted from premises in the city.
The Fare Network, which helps FIFA and UEFA investigate cases of discriminatory behavior by fans, had planned to operate “diversity houses” in Moscow and St. Petersburg with exhibitions and talks on human rights.
Fare says the lease on their part of a St. Petersburg building was abruptly canceled and other tenants were told not to sub-lease space to Fare.
Executive director Piara Powar says “it seems to be clear that the project in St. Petersburg has been subject to a political attack of the kind that shows how debates about human rights are curtailed by powerful conservative political forces in Russia.”
However, Powar says Fare has only “anecdotal evidence” of the city government’s involvement.
Fare plans to open its event at new premises elsewhere in St. Petersburg later Saturday.
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4:50 p.m.
Iceland is hanging in with Group D favorites Argentina at 1-1 at halftime in a match that has all the ingredients for an upset.
A Sergio Aguero strike in the 19th minute was canceled out just 4 minutes later when Alfred Finnbogason swept a loose ball into the Argentina net off another broken play by the South Americans’ defense.
Iceland, the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup, has been content to surrender most of the possession but the chances have fallen fairly evenly. Iceland’s strategy of long-range counterattacks and pressuring the Argentines’ shaky backline seems to be working.
Goalkeeper Wilfredo Caballero and the defenders in front of him have repeatedly left loose balls in the middle of the area, creating second chances for Iceland.
Gylfi Sigurdsson’s volley just before the break was the last of those, but it went wide.
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4:25 p.m.
Alfred Finnbogason buried a rebound off a broken play by Argentina’s defense to bring Iceland level just minutes after a Sergio Aguero strike had given the South Americans the lead at Moscow’s Spartak Stadium.
Aguero spun his defender near the penalty spot to create enough space to beat goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson to his right. The 19th-minute goal was the first serious threat from the Argentine attack, which has seen Lionel Messi force a pair of straightforward saves from Haldorsson but not much else.
Finnbogason drove home a loose ball that had been parried into traffic by Argentine keeper Wilfredo Caballero to make it 1-1 in the 23rd.
Iceland missed a fantastic chance in the 10th when their pressure forced a breakdown on Argentina’s backline. Caballero was forced to stab away an ill-advised back pass, and the ball wound up at the feet of Kari Arnason, whose volley missed a fairly open net.
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4:05 p.m.
Argentina has the early edge in their opening World Cup match against Iceland — at least in the stands.
Fans of Lionel Messi & Co. outnumber their Icelandic counterparts perhaps 10 to one inside Spartak Stadium in Moscow. Their singing has filled the 45,000-seat stadium since well before kickoff.
The South Americans did politely quiet down long enough for Iceland fans to get in the first of their famed “Skol” chants and a song of their own. But the few sections of fans wearing Iceland’s dark blue are nearly swallowed up by the sea of sky blue-and-white Argentina jerseys.
The match is the first for each team in a group that also includes Croatia and Nigeria, who play later Saturday in Kaliningrad.
Iceland is the least populous nation ever to play in the World Cup. The entire country’s population is only about seven times bigger than the stadium’s capacity.
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3:05 p.m.
Lionel Messi is joined in Argentina’s attack by the fit-again Sergio Aguero to face Iceland at Spartak Stadium in Moscow. Aguero had knee surgery in March but returned in a warmup friendly against Haiti two weeks ago.
There is no space in the starting lineup for Juventus playmaker Paulo Dybala.
Iceland’s No. 10 Gylfi Sigurdsson is fit to start despite, like Aguero, ending his English Premier League season in March because of a knee injury. Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson has opted for Alfred Finnbogason to lead the attack in a likely 4-5-1 formation.
It’s the first game in Group D. Croatia plays Nigeria later Saturday.
Lineups:
Argentina: Willy Caballero, Nicolas Tagliafico, Lucas Biglia, Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, Maximiliano Meza, Javier Mascherano, Marcos Rojo, Nicolas Otamendi, Eduardo Salvio, Sergio Aguero.
Iceland: Hannes Halldorsson, Birkir Mar Saevarsson, Ragnar Sigurdsson, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Birkir Bjarnason, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Alfred Finnbogason, Kari Arnason, Aron Gunnarsson, Hordur Magnusson, Emil Hallfredsson.
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2: 52 p.m.
Midfielder Paul Pogba scored a late winner to help France to a 2-1 win against Australia in their World Cup opening game in Group C on Saturday.
Pogba was unimpressive until the 81st minute at the Kazan Arena, when he set up a fine one-two with substitute Olivier Giroud to beat Australia ‘keeper Mat Ryan with a shot that took a deflection, hit the bar and crossed the goal line.
After a balanced first half, France was awarded a penalty following a VAR review, the first of the World Cup, and scored to take the lead in the 58th minute. After checking images of a tackle from behind by Joshua Risdon on Antoine Griezmann, referee Andres Cunha pointed to the penalty spot. Griezmann sent a powerful strike into the net that left ‘keeper Ryan stranded.
Australia equalized within four minutes with captain Mile Jedinak converting from the penalty spot after Samuel Umtiti handled the ball in the box.
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2:38 p.m.
France has taken a 2-1 lead against Australia with less than 10 minutes left to play in the World Cup Group C game. Paul Pogba scored following a fine one-two with substitute Olivier Giroud after his shot took a deflection, hit the bar and crossed the goal line.
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2:20 p.m.
France has been awarded a penalty following a VAR review, the first in the World Cup, and scored to take the lead against Australia.
After checking images of a tackle from behind from Joshua Risdon on Antoine Griezmann, referee Andres Cunha pointed to the penalty spot. Griezmann sent a powerful strike into the net that left ‘keeper Mat Ryan stranded to give France a 1-0 lead.
Australia equalized within minutes with captain Mile Jedinak converting from the penalty spot after Samuel Umtiti handled the ball in the box. Jedinak took the kick and sent France ‘keeper Hugo Lloris the wrong way
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1:55 p.m.
Germany coach Joachim Loew says goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is looking confident ahead of the team’s World Cup opener against Mexico, despite missing most of the season with injury.
Neuer, a star of Germany’s World Cup-winning team in 2014, played just four times this season for Bayern Munich because of a fracture in his left foot.
Loew says “he looks self-confident in training, the Manuel Neuer that we’ve always known.”
Loew adds that Neuer has been “very calm, stable and he’s in a very good mood. You could see that in the weeks and month before that he was working to strengthen his stamina.”
Ahead of Sunday’s game against Mexico, Loew revealed Germany spent Friday concentrating on corners, free kicks and penalties to deal with a perception that set-pieces might be a weak point for the 2014 champions.
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1:46 p.m.
It’s 0-0 at halftime between France and Australia in their World Cup Group C opener in Kazan.
The French have been dominating in the early stages and had the best chances before Australia settled in.
Australia defenders Trent Sainsbury and Joshua Risdon have been doing a fine job in making sure Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe did not get too many balls.
Applying coach Bert Van Marwijk’s orders, the Socceroos are putting on a composed but aggressive display that has been working well so far.
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12:55 p.m.
Julian Draxler says it’s “not true” that his Germany teammates Mesut Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan are feeling isolated in the squad following controversy over their photo with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Arsenal’s Ozil and Manchester City’s Gundogan, who are both of Turkish descent, posed with Erdogan during the Turkish president’s visit to Britain last month.
Gundogan, who gave Erdogan a shirt with a message “to my revered president,” was jeered by fans during last week’s friendly win over Saudi Arabia.
Draxler says reports “that Mesut Ozil was not up to his best or that Ilkay Gundogan was a bit subdued, that’s not true.” He’s praised Ozil as “probably our most creative player on the pitch and so I’m sure that Mesut oezil will be there when we need him.”
Germany starts its title defense against Mexico in Moscow on Sunday.
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12:05 p.m.
France coach Didier Deschamps has opted for a three-pronged attack of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele to face Australia in the World Cup Group C opener.
Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante and Corentin Tolisso have been selected in a three-man midfield, with Benjamin Pavard, Samuel Umtiti, Raphael Varane and Lucas Hernández making up the back four.
Australia captain Mile Jedinak has been confirmed as a starter in place of Massimo Luongo, who started as screening midfielder in recent friendlies. Striker Andrew Nabbout will assume the scoring duties for the Socceroos.
Lineups:
France: Hugo Lloris, Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Hernandez, Corentin Tolisso, N’Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe.
Australia: Mat Ryan, Josh Risdon, Trent Sainsbury, Mark Milligan, Aziz Behich, Mile Jedinak, Aaron Mooy, Mathew Leckie, Tom Rogic, Robbie Kruse, Andrew Nabbout.
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11:35 a.m.
Laurent Ciman has left Belgium’s World Cup squad, the team says on its official Twitter account, although it has not said if the defender’s departure means that center back Vincent Kompany is fit again after injuring his groin in a warmup match two weeks ago.
Coach Roberto Martinez took Los Angeles FC defender Ciman to Russia as a stand-by player in case Kompany was not fit for Belgium’s opening Group G match against Panama on Sunday.
The team says that despite returning to Belgium, Ciman will remain on stand-by until Sunday evening.
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11:10 a.m.
French president Emmanuel Macron will travel to the World Cup only if Les Bleus make it to the semifinals.
But the French players will have the support of a former French president during their opening match against Australia in Group C.
FIFA says Nicolas Sarkozy, an avid football fan who served as president from 2007-12, is among the guests at Kazan Arena.
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10:30 a.m.
Some soccer fans will follow their team anywhere to see it play in the World Cup. For five friends from Croatia that meant cycling 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) all the way from Zagreb to Kaliningrad in Russia.
The epic trek took them 15 days, cycling for 10 hours a day as they pedaled through Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland.
On the way they encountered a number of challenges including a broken bridge. As they reached their final destination, the group collapsed into a bar and celebrated with a well-earned drink.
They’re now looking forward to Saturday’s game between Croatia and Nigeria.
Frane Lukovic, a 46-year-old lawyer from Zagreb, insisted it was nothing out of the ordinary for long-distance cyclists such as himself.
For Lukovic, the trip represented a personal comeback, having been diagnosed with skin cancer six years ago.
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10 a.m.
While fans from around the world are singing and celebrating the World Cup on Moscow’s streets, they can’t go to the most famous place in the Russian capital — Red Square.
Barriers staffed by police officers have blocked off the square for several days, with authorities citing the need to build and dismantle stages for a national holiday and a World Cup-themed opera performance last Tuesday and Wednesday.
Mexico supporter Cesar Reyes, peering past the barriers, says “it’s a real shame it’s closed because it’s one of the best places to visit when you’re in Moscow. It’s a real shame that people will miss it because it’s closed for special event and there’s no opportunity to appreciate this building.”
Russian police have closed off a number of roads and other areas for security reasons over recent days. It’s unclear when the square will be reopened.
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More AP World Cup coverage: www.apnews.com/tag/WorldCup
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