Argentina and Poland as well as France and Australia won their penultimate World Cup matches in Groups C and D, respectively but only the French were the first team to book a place in the knockout stage of the tournament.
Yahoo News Singapore gathers some of the highlights from these matches in photos.
The Socceroos kept its hope alive for a place in the last 16 with the victory, their first since beating Serbia 2010 and only their third win in 18 matches in the World Cup. The Australians also kept their first clean sheet since 1974.
Australia faces off against Denmark in their last group game with their sights trained on the knockout rounds.
Australia's Mitchell Duke, left, scores his first side goal as Tunisia's Yassine Meriah looks on during the World Cup group D football match between Tunisia and Australia at the Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Tunisia's goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen fails to stop the ball as Australia's Mitchell Duke scores the opening goal of his team during the World Cup group D football match between Tunisia and Australia at the Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Australia's fans celebrate after winning the World Cup group D football match between Tunisia and Australia at the Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Tunisia's fans reacts after their team lost in the World Cup group D football match against Australia at the Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
His goal in the 82nd minute erased memories of his missed penalty during Poland's draw with Mexico in their opening match.
The win moved Poland on top of Group C and boosted their chances of qualifying for the last 16. It also ensured that there was no repeat of any upset from Saudi Arabia who shocked Argentina in their opener.
Lewandowski also had a hand in teammate Piotr Zielinski's 40th-minute opener.
Poland will meet Argentina next, while Saudi Arabia will face Mexico in their last group games.
Poland's Piotr Zielinski scores their side's first goal of the game during the FIFA World Cup Group C match at the Education City Stadium in Doha, Qatar. Picture date: Saturday November 26, 2022. (Photo by Peter Bryne/PA Images via Getty Images)
Poland's Robert Lewandowski eyes the ball as he is challenged by Saudi Arabia's Abdulelah Al-Amri during the World Cup group C football match between Poland and Saudi Arabia, at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Poland's Robert Lewandowski celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the World Cup group C football match between Poland and Saudi Arabia, at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Poland's goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, bottom, dives to save a penalty shot by Saudi Arabia's Salem Al-Dawsari, right, during the World Cup group C football match between Poland and Saudi Arabia, at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A Poland supporter poses with Saudi supporters prior to the World Cup group C football match between Poland and Saudi Arabia, at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Mbappe put France in the lead with a 61st-minute goal before Denmark pulled back a goal with Andreas Christensen's 68th header to draw level. Mbappe secured all three points for Les Blues by scoring in the 86th minute.
France is the first team to advance from the group stage at this year's tournament.
Les Blues also became the first defending champions to reach the World Cup's round of 16 since 2006, a feat no other holders achieved since 2022 champs Brazil accomplished four years later.
Mbappe's tally is one short of the eight goals each scored by Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina's Lionel Messi in their entire World Cup careers.
Mbappe's 31 goals for his national team are also levelled with another French hero Zinedine Zidane.
France will face Tunisia and Australia will play Denmark in their final group matches.
France's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the World Cup group D football match between France and Denmark, at the Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Denmark's Andreas Christensen celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the World Cup group D football match between France and Denmark, at the Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
France's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring his sides' second goal during the World Cup group D football match between France and Denmark, at the Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Denmark's goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, right, makes a save against France's Kylian Mbappe during the World Cup group D football match between France and Denmark, at the Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Messi found his 93rd international goal in the 64th minute to ensure Argentina bounced back from a humbling 2-1 defeat against Saudi Arabia in one of the most shocking World Cup upsets.
Substitute Enzo Fernandez scored a second goal for Argentina in the 87th minute.
Argentina may need to win its final match against table-topper Poland to advance to the last 16. They are tied in second in Group C with Saudi Arabia, which faces Mexico next.
Argentina's Lionel Messi scores his side's first goal during the World Cup group C football match between Argentina and Mexico, at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the World Cup group C football match between Argentina and Mexico, at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Argentina players celebrate Argentina's Lionel Messi's opening goal during the World Cup group C football match between Argentina and Mexico, at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
Argentina's Enzo Fernandez celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the World Cup group C football match between Argentina and Mexico, at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
Fans watch during the World Cup group C football match between Argentina and Mexico, at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Mexico supporters sit outside Lusail Stadium following following Argentina's 2-0 victory over Mexico in a World Cup group C football match in Lusail, Qatar, Suday, Nov. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
The Philadelphia Eagles steamrollered the injury-hit San Francisco 49ers 31-7 to book their place in the Super Bowl on Sunday.It got worse for San Francisco on their opening drive, when quarterback Purdy was hit by the Eagles' Hasson Reddick as he attempted to pass.Â
Stock markets wavered on Monday with central banks set to lift interest rates again later this week in their battle against high inflation.The US Federal Reserve is forecast Wednesday to lift interest rates by just 25 basis points, down from a half-point hike last month, which followed four straight 75-point increases.
"Avatar: The Way of Water" continued to dominate the box-office charts, taking in an estimated $15.7 million this weekend in North American theaters to make it the fourth-leading global grosser of all time. Hefty results from theaters around the world -- including $237 million in ticket sales in China -- helped boost "The Way of Water" to fourth place globally all-time at $2.117 billion, unadjusted for inflation.Â
Yogi, Paddington and Winnie the Pooh, move over. There's a new bear in town. Or on Mars, anyway.The beaming face of a cute-looking teddy bear appears to have been carved into the surface of our nearest planetary neighbor, waiting for a passing satellite to discover it.And when the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter passed over last month, carrying aboard the most powerful camera ever to venture into the Solar System, that's exactly what happened.Scientists operating the HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment), which has been circling Mars since 2006, crunched the data that made it back to Earth, and have now published a picture of the face."There's a hill with a V-shaped collapse structure (the nose), two craters (the eyes), and a circular fracture pattern (the head)," said scientists at the University of Arizona, which operates the kit.Each one of the features in the 2,000-meter (1.25-mile)-wide face has a possible explanation that hints at just how active the surface of the planet is."The circular fracture pattern might be due to the settling of a deposit over a buried impact crater," the scientists said."Maybe the nose is a volcanic or mud vent and the deposit could be lava or mud flows?"HiRISE, one of six instruments aboard the Orbiter, snaps super-detailed pictures of the Red Planet helping to map the surface for possible future missions, either by humans or robots.Over the last ten years the team has managed to capture images of avalanches as they happened, and discovered dark flows that could be some kind of liquid.They've also found dust devils twirling across the Martian surface, as well as a feature that some people thought looked a lot like Star Trek's Starfleet logo.One thing they have not found, however, is the little green men who were once popularly believed to inhabit the planet.hg/st
China's factory activity expanded in January after months of contraction, official data showed Tuesday, as the world's second-largest economy stirs back to life after Beijing ended strict Covid curbs.But it is now showing signs of a rebound, with a key gauge of factory output rising this month and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) upgrading its 2023 growth forecast to 5.2 percent.
Coal-rich but energy-starved South Africa will not immediately abandon its fossil-fuelled electricity generating plants as it transitions to cleaner forms of power, President Cyril Ramaphosa said Sunday.South Africa, one of the world's largest polluters which generates about 80 percent of its electricity through coal, is in the grip of an energy crisis.
With a political class that is widely mistrusted and seen as weak and out of touch, Peruvians have grown increasingly disillusioned that a solution to weeks of violent unrest is at hand, experts told AFP.
The national Congress is due to debate again on Monday a proposal to bring forward elections slated for April 2024 in a bid to break a political deadlock that has seen 48 deaths over seven weeks of near-daily protests.In the early hours of Saturday, following seven hours of debate, lawmakers vo
Peru's Congress will resume debate Tuesday on a bill to bring forward elections, a move aimed at ending weeks of protests that have left dozens dead and brought parts of the country to a standstill. On Monday, lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on the bill after seven hours of discussions, and proceedings will resume at 11:00 am on Tuesday (1600 GMT), according to the legislature. "We are sure that there will be a way out. All the democratic blocs are going to debate it taking into account the high sense of urgency," said Prime Minister Alberto Otarola on Monday.The South American country has been embroiled in a political crisis with near-daily street protests since December 7, when then-president Pedro Castillo was arrested after attempting to dissolve Congress and rule by decree.In seven weeks of demonstrations, 48 people -- including one police officer -- have been killed in clashes between security forces and protesters, according to the Ombudsman's Office.The unrest is being propelled mainly by poor, rural Indigenous people from southern Peru who had identified Castillo as one of their own who would fight to end poverty, racism and inequality.Dozens of roadblocks have been set up by protesters, causing a shortage of food and fuel in some southern areas as they demand that Castillo's replacement, President Dina Boluarte, step down.Trade unions and other bodies have called for another major demonstration against Boluarte in Lima on Tuesday.- Bringing elections forward -Last month, lawmakers moved elections due in 2026 to April 2024, but as protests showed no sign of abating, Boluarte has called to hold them this year, which Congress rejected late Friday."Vote for Peru, for the country, by moving the elections up to 2023," the president said in an address to the nation on Sunday. Lawmakers "have a chance to win the country's trust," she said.In last week's vote on moving elections to October, there were 65 votes against and just 45 in favor, with two abstentions.If reconvened lawmakers again refuse to advance elections, Boluarte has said she will propose a constitutional reform allowing a first voting round to be held in October and a runoff in December.Protesters are demanding immediate elections, the dissolution of Congress and a new constitution.In the Lima suburb of Huaycan, hundreds of people marched on Monday chanting: "No more deaths, Dina quit now."Dozens of soldiers headed to Ica, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of the capital, to support police in clearing roadblocks on the vital Panamericana Sur highway that connects major cities.Weeks of roadblocks have caused shortages of food, fuel and other basic supplies countrywide.- First death in Lima - According to a survey by the Institute of Peruvian Studies, 73 percent of citizens want elections this year. Monday's congressional sitting coincided with a wake for Victor Santisteban, 55, a demonstrator who died Saturday after receiving blunt force trauma to the head, according to a medical report. Santisteban's death was the first recorded in Lima since the protests started.According to the human rights ombudsman's office, Saturday's protest in the capital saw at least seven people hospitalized after police used tear gas on demonstrators hurling stones and cement pieces.Geronimo Lopez, leader of the General Confederation of Peruvian Workers, said protesters would "not cease their struggle" until Boluarte steps down, and called for a national march Tuesday.Boluarte, who as Castillo's vice president was constitutionally mandated to replace him, has insisted that "nobody has any interest in clinging to power."Apart from those who have died in protests, 10 civilians -- including two babies -- died when they were unable to get medical treatment or medicine due to roadblocks, according to the ombudsman's office.The protest movement has affected Peru's vital tourism industry, forcing the closure of the world-renowned Machu Picchu Inca citadel ruins.In the district of Poroy, about 15 kilometers from Cusco, about 300 people queued Monday to buy a gas bottle for domestic use."There are people here queuing since 3.00 am... I have not had any gas for two weeks," 33-year-old housewife Gabriela Alvarez told AFP."We have had to go back in time to cook with firewood and charcoal which hurts the lungs," she said.Peru's Las Bambas copper mine -- responsible for about two percent of global metal supply -- said Monday it would have to halt production starting Wednesday unless the roadblocks were lifted.Chinese owner MMG said in a statement that "after transportation interruptions that affected both entry and exit traffic, (the company) has been forced to start a progressive slowdown of its Las Bambas operation due to a shortage of critical supplies."cm/pb/mlr/jh/dw/st/aha/dva
Skipper Hardik Pandya on Sunday blasted the Lucknow pitch as a "shocker" after India edged New Zealand by six wickets in a low-scoring second Twenty20 international to level the series at 1-1."To be honest, it was a shocker of a wicket," Pandya said.
The Reserve Bank of India is expected to raise its main interest rate by a modest 25 basis points to 6.50% at its meeting one week after New Delhi's Feb. 1 budget, before leaving it at that level for the rest of the year, a Reuters poll of economists found. Like many other major central banks, the RBI is expected to then pause, waiting for inflation to fall before considering a shift toward a stimulative stance as Asia's third-largest economy slows. More than three-quarters of economists, 40 of 52, expected the RBI to raise its key repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.50%, according to a Jan. 13-27 Reuters poll.
Peruvian President Dina Boluarte made a renewed appeal Sunday for congress to hold early elections as a way to end weeks of deadly protests, warning that otherwise she will seek constitutional reform to make a vote happen."Vote for Peru, for the country, by moving the elections up to 2023," the president said in an address to the nation.
India's state-backed Life Insurance Corp (LIC) has no current plans to bid in the ongoing $2.5 billion secondary share sale of Adani Enterprises, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Monday. Adani's group companies are under pressure after U.S. short-seller Hindenburg Research's criticism of its business practices last week, that has since led to a $65 billion loss in the Indian group's stock values. Adani has called the report baseless.
David Moyes cannot wait to take on his former club Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round after goals from Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio sealed West Ham's 2-0 victory at third tier Derby on Monday.Moyes made six changes following West Ham's vital 2-0 victory over Premier League relegation rivals Everton in their most recent match nine days ago.
Gautam Adani's vast Indian business empire lost billions more dollars in value on Monday after its rejection of claims of widespread fraud failed to reassure investors.On Monday the 60-year-old was eighth in the ranking, which put his wealth at $88.2 billion, down from almost $130 billion before the allegations.Â
