By Lawrence Trusida, Sports Editor
THE 2022 FIFA World provided another shock defeat after four-time winners Germany slumped to a two-one defeat at the hands of Japan this Wednesday.
A day after Argentina fell to a surprise 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia, another global football giant, Germany slumped to a shock 2-1 defeat to Japan.
It was the same script as German took the lead through a penalty converted by Captain Ilkay Gundogan in the same way Argentina led through a Lionel Messi penalty.
And just like Saudi Arabia rallied back in Lusail through a second-half master class the Khalifa International Stadium was treated to some entertaining yet mesmerizing football as Japan scored two second-half goals to win the match 2-1.
Meanwhile, African giants Morocco put on a defensive masterclass as they held 2018 runners-up, Croatia to earn a point in their Group F opener at the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Qatar
Croatia, who are ranked 12th in the world, dominated possession as expected but they failed to create opportunities or break down Morocco, who have only lost two of their past 40 matches.
In a game of few chances, the Croats had a slight edge with Dejan Lovren having an effort cleared off the line and Nikola Vlasic’s close shot saved by the legs of Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Morocco striker Youssef En-Nesryi could have given the North Africans an early lead but he failed to get a decent touch onto Hakim Ziyech’s cross.
This was the third nil-all draw at the current World Cup, as compared to four years ago that only had a single goalless match.