FIFA

Vedat Muriqi's eighth goal of the season on Wednesday night condemned Atletico to their third defeat in four games in all competitions in a run that has seen them drop out of the top four in Spain and crash out of Europe. Atletico improved after a poor first half, but paid for some wayward finishing, while Mallorca keeper Predrag Rajkovic made two good saves to deny Spain international Alvaro Morata.

However, any England fan will tell you it's rarely as simple as that, with memories of their struggles in a group comprised of the United States, Algeria and Slovenia in 2010 coming to mind, and a look at other teams in the group also suggests things may not be as straightforward as they seem. On paper, England have a better squad and record than Wales, the United States and Iran.

Qatar is facing a lot of criticism over its stance on same-sex relationships, human rights records and the treatment of migrant workers. Qatar World Cup ambassador Khalid Salman has recently said that homosexuality is "damage in the mind". The former Qatar international told German broadcaster ZDF that LGBTQ+ people attending the tournament should "accept our rules".

Timo Werner just returned to Leipzig in the summer after two years with Premier League outfit Chelsea and had penned a deal until 2026. Due to his recent performances in the Bundesliga and under Germany head coach Hansi Flick, Werner was widely expected to be in Germany's squad for Qatar, reports Xinhua.

To gain entry into the Gulf country after the conclusion of the group stage on December 2, non-ticketed fans will have to obtain a Hayya card, a key document introduced by Qatar for the tournament. Qatar, the first Middle East country to host the FIFA World Cup, has lined up curated festivities in addition to building eight futuristic stadiums in which matches will be played from November 20 to December 18.

"Timo Werner suffered an ankle injury last night in the win over Shakhtar Donetsk. Scans today in Leipzig showed that he has unfortunately torn the syndesmosis ligament in his left ankle and will therefore be out for the rest of 2022," the German football club said in a tweet.

Dorival Junior's men will be favourites to advance to the final, which is almost certain to be against European champions Real Madrid. It will provide a chance for the Rio de Janeiro outfit to seek redemption for their 1-0 loss to Liverpool in 2019 final, reports Xinhua.

With roughly two weeks to go until the tournament's kick-off, "it is somehow strange to think of it as we are still busy with national and international club competitions," the 27-year-old said.

A late own goal by Ana Guzman in the 82nd minute was the difference between the two sides. The two teams had also met in the group phase, with Spain winning 1-0. In presence of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, alongside top officials from the Asian Football Federation (AFC) and All India Football Federation (AIFF), Spain successfully defended the title which theySpain beat Colombia 1-0 to win FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup

With roughly two weeks to go until the 57-year-old will announce the 26 players on November 10, Flick is facing several doubtful cases among key figures. Uncertainties around team cornerstones such as Dortmund striker Marco Reus and Bayern's Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller come along with doubts if the German defense can do without Mats Hummels. While Neuer and Reus suffer from injuries and remain side-lined in their club teams, Muller is facing what the Bayern striker called the "on-and-off modus I am not used to."