Egypt began their World Cup qualifying campaign with an expected triumph over tiny Djibouti, with Mohamed Salah scoring four goals, while Nigeria was held to a stunning home draw by Lesotho on Thursday.
Salah’s brilliance ensured Egypt’s 6-0 triumph in their first Group A match in Cairo, with the striker scoring the first four goals and bringing his overall record for Egypt to 53 in 93 games as they attempt to qualify for the 2026 championships after missing out on the Qatar World Cup last year.
Nigeria, missing injured Napoli attacker Victor Osimhen, were held to a 1-1 draw by Lesotho, a small mountain monarchy ranked 113 places lower in the FIFA rankings.
Luis Diaz scores twice as Colombia beats Brazil 2-1 in World Cup qualifying
Luis Diaz scored a fairytale second-half double to lift Colombia to a 2-1 victory over Brazil on Thursday, concluding a tumultuous month that saw his father being kidnapped by rebels for 12 days.
In front of a sold-out crowd at Barranquilla’s Estadio Metropolitano, Liverpool striker Diaz headed home in the 75th and 79th minutes to give Colombia a crucial win in their quest to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Brazil’s opener, scored by Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli, was wiped out by Diaz’s goals. Brazil’s dismal night was made worse by the injury to Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr, who left the game after 27 minutes with a thigh injury.
Diaz’s match-winning brace moved his father, Luis Manuel Diaz, who was in the stands wearing a Colombia shirt, to tears.
Uruguay stun Argentina with Darwin Nunez brilliant performance
Uruguay halted Argentina’s 14-match unbeaten record with a 2-0 victory over the world champions in World Cup qualifiers on Thursday, while Colombia defeated Brazil in an emotional 2-1 victory.
Uruguay took the lead on 41 minutes through defender Ronald Araujo, before Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez sealed the victory on the counterattack in the 87th minute to end a hard-fought match at the Bombonera Stadium in Buenos Aires.
Argentina suffered their first defeat in the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, and their first defeat since being defeated 2-1 by Saudi Arabia in the 2022 championships in Qatar.