In brief
- Switzerland followed up their disappointing draw with Qatar with a win over Bosnia-Herzegovina.
- An even 1-1 between South Africa and the Czech Republic have kept their World Cup dreams alive.
The Canadians have claimed their first-ever World Cup win in style, demolishing Qatar 6-0 in Vancouver.
Canadian Jonathan David bagged a hat-trick and lifted the co-hosts ahead of Switzerland at the top of Group B.
The win came at a price, however, as Canadian midfielder Ismael Kone was carried off the pitch with an inflatable red boot on his left leg after a challenge by Assim Madibo early in the second half that earned him a red card and reduced Qatar to nine men.
Cyle Larin pounced on a rebound to open the scoring before David fired home a volley and then converted from close range. Nathan Saliba put the game out of reach when he drilled home a free kick shortly after entering the game for Kone, an own goal from Mohamed Manai made it 5-0 and David completed his treble in stoppage time with a left-foot shot.
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Qatar were reduced to 10 men in the 34th minute when Homam Ahmed was sent off for a foul on Tajon Buchanan that originally led to a penalty being awarded until a review determined the challenge was just outside the area.
Canada joined Switzerland on four points through two matches but lead Group B on goal difference. Canada closes out the group stage against Switzerland on 24 June in Vancouver while Qatar face Bosnia and Herzegovina in Seattle.
Second-half surge gives Switzerland a 4-1 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina
A second-half surge, including a maiden World Cup goal for substitute Johan Manzambi, has seen Switzerland overwhelm Bosnia-Herzegovina 4-1 to take control of their group.
Manzambi opened the scoring with an outstanding volley in the 74th minute, followed by another by Tarik Muharemović 10 minutes later after Bosnia was reduced to 10 men after Muharemović was sent off for a dangerous tackle
Manzambi scored again in the 90th on a pass from Vargas, and captain Granit Xhaka converted from the penalty spot with the final kick of the game in stoppage time.
Ermin Mahmic scored in the fourth minute of second-half injury time for Bosnia-Herzegovina, who still have a legitimate chance of reaching the knockout stage in only their second World Cup after going toe-to-toe with higher-ranked Switzerland deep into the second half.
Switzerland followed up their disappointing 1-1 draw with Qatar last week by largely dominating play against the momentum-laden Dragons, who were unbeaten in their last nine competitive matches.
But the Swiss couldn't break through until a moment of brilliance from Manzambi, a 20-year-old Geneva native who plays for German club Freiburg — and then Muharemović's red card changed the match.
Manzambi scored three minutes after coming on for standout winger Dan Ndoye. Manzambi jumped and connected perfectly on Amar Memic's attempted clearing header, setting off a wild celebration in the nervous Swiss section of SoFi Stadium.
Bosnia-Herzegovina were backed by a raucous cheering section with tens of thousands of fans in the crowd of 70,026, celebrating their nation's second World Cup appearance.
A late penalty has secured South Africa a 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic
A draw has kept South Africa and the Czech Republic's hopes of qualification from group A alive, thanks to a late penalty by Teboho Mokoena.
After Patrik Schick headed an early chance wide at the far post, the Czechs — showing five changes from the 2-1 defeat to South Korea, including midfielder Tomáš Souček dropped to the bench — took the lead in the sixth minute.
Adam Hložek raced on to a throw-in down the right and cut the ball back to the edge of the box, where Alexandr Sojka fed Michal Sadílek to clip his finish past South Africa keeper Ronwen Williams for the quickest goal of the tournament so far.
South Africa, which had Yaya Sithole and Themba Zwane sent off in their opening 2-0 loss to co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca Stadium, looked for a response as Oswin Appollis' 25-yard effort was deflected behind.
That came just before the first hydration break, which was again met by a chorus of boos from fans at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the roof was closed.
The tempo dropped heading towards halftime before South African player Thapelo Maseko was played into the right side of the Czech penalty area, but his angled effort was cut out at the near post.
South Africa sent on Orlando Pirates forward Relebohile Mofokeng for the second half, but it was the Czechs who nearly struck when Vladimír Darida saw his close-range shot blocked before Lukáš Červ's speculative effort was tipped over.
From the resulting corner, Bayer Leverkusen front man Schick then headed straight at Williams.
South Africa was awarded a penalty with nine minutes left for handball by Czech substitute Pavel Šulc, having been struck at point-blank range from a shot by Maseko.
Mokoena made no mistake from the spot, slotting the ball to the left and sending Matěj Kovář the wrong way.
Neither side found a late winner, leaving both countries still with some hope of making the last 32.
South Africa coach Hugo Broos felt "very proud" of his team.
"When you see the reaction after our game against Mexico, this is Bafana Bafana," he said in his pitchside interview, referring to the team's nickname.
"We play good football, we are aggressive, we had chances, but you need also a little bit of luck."
"Now we don't have to count on someone else. We just have to win the game against South Korea, which will be very difficult too, but when we play with the same mentality I think it is possible."
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Czech Republic manager Miroslav Koubek believes his side were closer to victory than South Africa and he rued their missed chances to put the game away.
"We are sorry about the result, because I think that taking a look at the chances, we were nearer to victory," Koubek told reporters.
"But we were not able to score a second goal. If we scored a second goal, it would probably be the end of the match. Unless you score a second goal, you cannot win in such a match, and we had quite a few chances to score a goal.
"On the other hand, South Africa did not create too many chances. They only had a few shots on goal from distance, I am convinced that we were closer to victory than they were, and we have in the end at least one point."
The Czech Republic face Mexico at the Azteca in their final group game while South Africa takes on South Korea in Monterrey.
Lionel Messi's family confirms father's health-related issue
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi's father is experiencing a "health situation" that prompted family members to release a statement.
Jorge Messi is "under medical supervision" as he continues to recover from an undisclosed medical condition. The family statement said he is "progressing favorably".
Speculation about the star player's 68-year-old father, Jorge, prompted a terse tone in the family statement.
"In light of the versions, rumors and speculation that have circulated in recent hours, the family wishes to express their profound discomfort at the lack of sensitivity, respect and scruples with which some individuals have treated a strictly private and family matter," the statement read.
"The family also wishes to clarify that only his closest relatives have real and accurate information regarding Jorge's condition. Therefore, any version, statement, or information that does not come directly from the family and its official channels should not be considered valid or truthful."
Jorge Messi reportedly is involved in overseeing his son's business interests.
In the opener of his record sixth World Cup, Messi was brought to tears over his three-goal performance in a 3-0 victory over Algeria on Tuesday. His first-ever World Cup hat trick gave him 16 goals all-time in the tournament, tying with Germany's Miroslav Klose for the record.
He was asked about wiping away tears in the wake of the performance.
"Why did I cry? It was something completely unrelated to football. I went through some difficult days," Messi said in Spanish after the game.
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