Neymar's tears worry Brazil

In an extraordinary game, Portugal were pushed right up till the end by Iran as VAR came into play at the death. There was a penalty incident review after a handball by Cedric Soares and Iran captain Karim Ansarifard stepped up to equalize for Iran in injury time. Despite the late drama, Portugal held on to a 1-1 draw to ensure second place in Group B and qualified for the Round Of 16 where they will play Uruguay. 

In the other Group B game, Spain were drawing Morocco 2-2 and late in the game, Iran forward Mehdi Taremi had the chance to seal a memorable win when a deflected shot fell his way. He however only managed to find the side netting and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

Portugal forward Ricardo Quaresma had scored a stunning goal right at the end of the first half to give the European champions the lead in the crucial game.  Cristiano Ronaldo failed to extend Portugal’s lead when he won a penalty in the 53rd minute but Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand dived to his left to save his effort from the spot.

Refree Caceres consulted with VAR to award Portugal a penalty for Morteza Pouraliganji's foul on Ronaldo amid vociferous protests from the Iranians and their numerous supporters at the Mordovia Arena. The Real Madrid forward's missed penalty also meant he lost the chance to tie England's Harry Kane at the top of the scorers' list on five goals.

"We have achieved our goal and now we have to recover over the next few days to think about the next match," goal-scorer Quaresma was quoted as saying by Reuters. "Now we have to continue with this mindset of winning and wait for the next match."

Iran were well organised at the back and defended stoically but did not have enough men going forward. Carlos Queiroz's men relied mostly on counter attacks and while forward Sardar Azmoun showed plenty of glimpses of his talent, it was not enough to deny Portugal.

"It's such a big disappointment for us," Iran midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh said. "We had a big chance at the end of the game, we could have scored and won it. As everyone has seen, we did our best to win this game but we missed some chances."

Portugal had faced a lot of criticism for their lacklustre display and inability to hold possession in their 1-0 win against Morocco last Wednesday but they appeared determined to set that right against the Asian powerhouse.

They dominated possession, playing almost three times the number of passes than their Asian opponents, and were more intent on creating chances through the midfield rather than just directing long balls towards Ronaldo.

Spain will meet hosts Russia at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on Sunday. 

(Source: Reuters)

The biggest change for Brazil at this World Cup is not on the field, or on the training ground, or even in the dressing-room. It's on the team sheet.

For the first time since 1974 Brazil have arrived at a World Cup without a player better known by his nickname than his given name.

Brazilian players usually go by one name but while they might all sound exotic to foreign ears, there is a big difference between those who use their given names and those better known by their nicknames.

This year there are no little coins (Tostao in Portuguese), no superheroes (Hulk), and none of the seven dwarves (Dunga, or Dopey).

In their place are Fred, Douglas and Marcelo, names that would not be out of place in a London accountant's office.

The slow death of the Brazilian nickname is a consequence of football becoming more corporate and less irreverent, said Marvio dos Anjos, sports editor at Rio de Janeiro newspaper O Globo.

From an early age, players now aim to become brands and that is harder if you are named after a body part, such as Bigode (Moustache); a nationality, such as Alemao (German, because he was blonde and blue-eyed); or a colour, like Branco (White, because he was the only white player in a team of Afro-Brazilians).

"Agents and the directors of football clubs have stopped players from using nicknames," Dos Anjos said.

"If your name is Hulk then you will be painted green and made to look like your name. It is a way to neutralise any irony or folklore and make them seem more serious."

Had seriousness been a factor in years gone by the story of Brazilian football would be very different.

Instead of Pele, a nonsensical name he picked up as a child, the record books would be filled with the legend of Edson Arantes do Nascimento.

Garrincha, who was named after one of the birds he so loved, would be known as Manuel dos Santos, a name as common in Brazil as John Smith is in England.

And rather than chant the name of Zico, one of their most illustrious successors, fans would sing the praises of Arthur Antunes Coimbra.

Brazilian supporters might not care what their players are called if they win the World Cup for the sixth time and many foreign ears will not even notice the change.

But the standardisation of monikers has drained some colour from the most vivid of all footballing nations, according to Dos Anjos.

"You start to see that they are taking some of the fun out the game,” he said.

Uruguay forward Edinson Cavani scored twice to earn the South Americans a 2-1 win over European champions Portugal in their World Cup round of 16 clash on Saturday and set up a quarter-final against France.

Cavani put Uruguay ahead in the seventh minute when he evaded the Portugal defence to meet Luis Suarez's pinpoint cross with a bullet header at the far post.

Pepe headed Portugal level in the 55th minute, the first goal Uruguay have conceded in the tournament, but Uruguay regained the lead seven minutes later when Rodrigo Bentancur found Cavani and he curled a brilliant first-time shot past Rui Patricio from the edge of the penalty area.

Portugal dominated possession but their attack did not have enough bite to break through the Uruguay defence twice, leaving their captain Cristiano Ronaldo a frustrated figure throughout the match.

The Real Madrid forward could not add to his four goals in the first two matches, failing to improve his record of failing to score in all six World Cup knockout matches he has played.

Ronaldo had an opportunity around the half-hour mark to score from a free kick 30 metres out but could only hit the wall.

Seventeen-year-old rising star Endrick, hailed as one of Brazilian football's great hopes, got his first call-up for national team duty Monday as coach Fernando Diniz seeks to replace injured star Neymar.

Endrick, who is set to join Real Madrid when he turns 18 in July 2024, could make his senior international debut in Brazil's World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina this month, making him the youngest player to receive a call-up for the Selecao since Ronaldo in 1994.

"He's a player with the potential to be a great talent," Diniz told a news conference, announcing his squad.

"This call-up isn't pressure. It's a reward, and also a look at the future of what the kid can be."

Endrick, reportedly bought by Real Madrid for a 72-million-euro transfer fee, is fresh off scoring a clutch brace as his current club, Palmeiras, came back from three goals down to beat league leaders Botafogo 4-3 on Wednesday.

Five-time World Cup winners Brazil will face Colombia away on November 16 in Barranquilla and arch-rivals Argentina on November 21 at Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracana stadium.

Diniz, who won the Copa Libertadores on Saturday in his second job as coach of Rio club Fluminense, largely overhauled Brazil's attack with Neymar sidelined by a knee injury.

Also in line for their senior debuts are Brighton forward Joao Pedro, 22, Atletico Mineiro's Paulinho, 23, and Porto's Pepe, 26.

In a surprise move, Diniz left out Tottenham striker Richarlison, a starter at the 2022 World Cup.

Besides 31-year-old Neymar -- sidelined for several months by a knee injury sustained on October 17 in Brazil's 2-0 loss to Uruguay at their last 2026 World Cup qualifier -- Brazil will also be missing their captain, Manchester United midfielder Casemiro, ruled out for several weeks with a hamstring injury.

Neymar will miss at least two weeks' training after suffering a muscle problem in his second game back from long-term injury, his coach at Saudi club Al Hilal said.

The Brazilian superstar lasted just 26 minutes as a second-half substitute before limping off with an apparent right hamstring strain in Monday's 3-0 AFC Champions League Elite win over Esteghlal.

Neymar, 32, who moved from Paris Saint-Germain in a lucrative contract in 2023, was out for more than a year until last month following right knee surgery.

"Neymar, it's not an easy case," said Al Hilal's Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus.

"On the medical level, his knee is healed, but then he will have problems like today, muscle problems because he hasn't played for a long time.

"Now he has a muscle injury. I don't know how long he won't be able to train, two weeks at least," he added.

Al Hilal, the reigning Saudi champions, have not registered Neymar for the current Saudi Pro League season, which began last month.

But the former Barcelona player, with a reported salary of about 100 million euros ($112 million) a year, is listed to play in the AFC Champions League Elite, Asia's biggest club tournament.

"It felt like a cramp, but very strong!" he wrote on Instagram. "I'll do some tests and hope it's nothing more serious.

"It's normal for this to happen after one year, the doctors already warned me, so I have to take care and play more minutes."