USA ADVANCE TO WORLD CUP LAST 32 WITH 2-0 WIN OVER AUSTRALIA

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By ‘Sefiu Ajape

The United States advanced into the last 32 of the World Cup on Friday with a 2-0 victory over Australia, as Brazil prepared to launch their campaign against Haiti.

A day after Mexico secured their place in the knockout rounds, the USA joined their fellow co-hosts with a clinical Group D win over Australia in Seattle.

A Cameron Burgess own goal in the 11th minute and a header from Alex Freeman just before half-time sealed victory for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, who progressed to the second phase of the tournament with a game to spare.

After an inconsistent build-up, the Americans have made a strong start to the competition, following their opening 4-1 win over Paraguay.

The co-hosts could still finish top of Group D later on Friday if Turkey fail to beat Paraguay in the late fixture.

“It was a fantastic game again. We dominated against a very tough team,” Pochettino said.

– Brazil seek improvement –

Elsewhere on Friday, Brazil will aim to recover from a disappointing 1-1 draw with Morocco as they prepare to face winless Haiti.

“We know what we have to do. We know that we didn’t have a good first match, but what we can expect from us is that we’ll be really committed tomorrow and we’re going to do our best to win,” defender Gabriel Magalhaes said.

“It wasn’t the match we wanted (against Morocco), but this is in the past and we’ve learned from it.”

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti confirmed he would make changes to his line-up, while stressing the importance of resilience over perfection.

“Getting off to a good start is important in a World Cup, but the most important thing is that the team, rather than being perfect, has to be resilient,” the Italian said.

Scotland captain Andy Robertson urged his side to build on their opening 1-0 win over Haiti and secure a result against Morocco in Foxborough that would take them closer to a historic first-ever World Cup knockout qualification.

“I don’t think any of the lads or the coaching staff and backroom staff have shied away from it,” Robertson said.

“We want to be the first team to be able to do that for our country. And it’s obviously a nice feeling to try and do that.”

Morocco’s build-up to the match was overshadowed by confirmation from a French appeals court that captain Achraf Hakimi will face trial over the alleged rape of a woman in 2023.

The Paris Saint-Germain defender, who denies the charge, welcomed the decision, writing on X that he had been “waiting for this trial since day one.”

“At last, I’ll be able to speak,” said Hakimi, who was named in the starting line-up against Scotland.

– Iranian complaints –

Off the pitch, Iran’s football federation said it would file a complaint with FIFA over alleged travel restrictions imposed on its team during the tournament.

“Despite having submitted its preparation schedule for the tournament well in advance, Iran’s national football team has once again encountered restrictions imposed by the organizers, affecting the implementation of its technical staff’s plans,” the spokesman said.

Iran had requested to fly from its base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, to Los Angeles two days before its match against Belgium on Sunday, but the request was reportedly denied.

The Iranian federation said its request was turned down, while the US administration has pushed back against the claims.