World Cup catch-up: Germany and Belgium eliminated, Japan stun Spain

Japan's Ritsu Doan celebrates scoring his side's first goal against Spain during a World Cup group E football match. Thursday, 1 December 2022.
Japan's Ritsu Doan celebrates scoring his side's first goal against Spain during a World Cup group E football match. Thursday, 1 December 2022. Copyright Eugene Hoshiko/Copyright 2022 The AP. All rights reserved
Copyright Eugene Hoshiko/Copyright 2022 The AP. All rights reserved
By Euronews, AP
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Here's our at-a-glance look at Thursday's matches as teams battled for a place in the last 16 in Qatar.

Group F: Croatia 0-0 Belgium

  • Belgium, one of the pre-tournament favourites, crash out of the World Cup

  • A draw with Croatia and Morocco beating Canada sends Roberto Martínez's team home. 

  • Croatia, semi-finalists in 2018, will play Japan in the last 16.

Group F: Canada 1-2 Morocco

  • Morocco win Group F after holding on to beat Canada.

  • Hakim Ziyech and Youssef En-Nesyri put Morocco 2-0 up.

  • But Nayef Aguerd's own goal shortly before half-time brought Canada back into the game.

  • Canada came agonisingly close to getting an equaliser when a header hit the bar and bounced down on the goal line in the closing stages of the second half. 

  • Morocco will play Spain in the knockout phase of the World Cup.

Group E: Spain 1-2 Japan

  • Japan has won against Spain 2-1 following goals from SC Freiburg winger Doan Ritsu and Fortuna Düsseldorf midfielder Ao Tanaka.

  • Spain had kickstarted the match with an 11th minute goal from Atlético Madrid striker Álvaro Morata.

  • Spain had been the clear favourite to win Thursday's match against Japan, but so was Germany -- and that didn't end well for the European team.

  • Japan started the World Cup with a surprise 2-1 win over Germany but followed up with a 1-0 loss to Costa Rica.

Group E: Costa Rica 2-4 Germany

  • While four-time world champions Germany defeated Costa Rica 4-2, they have been eliminated from the World Cup.
  • The German team won the match following one goal from Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry, another from Werder Bremen forward Niclas Füllkrug and two from Chelsea player Kai Havertz.
  • Costa Rica scored two goals, one by Herediano player Yeltsin Tejeda and an own goal by Germany's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (initially attributed to Millonarios defender Juan Pablo Vargas).
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