World Cup 2022: Costa Rica shocks Japan

It wasn't a classic but Costa Rica won't care!

Los Ticos bounced back from being demolished 7-0 by Spain in its opening game to stun Japan 1-0 and remain in contention for the round of 16.

Keysher Fuller's late left-footed effort, which came against the run of play, proved decisive. Japan huffed and puffed but failed to really test Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas.

With an opportunity to secure its place in the next round with a game to spare, it was a damp squib of an afternoon for the Samurai Blue.

It leaves Group E wide open with Japan, Costa Rica and Spain tied on three points and Germany on no points with the latter two facing each other later today at Al Bayt Stadium.

It's all to play for still...

With just a few minutes left and behind by a goal, Japan is pressing.

A huge scramble in the Costa Rica box ensues but it is able to hack the ball clear and hold onto its slender lead.

Costa Rica take the lead against the run of play!

Keysher Fuller's curling effort finds the back of the net despite the fingertips of Japan goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda getting to the ball.

It's a goal that breathes life into Costa Rica's World Cup campaign and shocks Japan, who had been hoping to qualify for the round of 16 with a victory today.

Argentina revived its World Cup hopes Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Mexico in front of a raucous crowd at Lusail Stadium in Qatar.

The match was scoreless entering the second half, but it was 35-year-old superstar Lionel Messi who made a superb goal in the 64th minute to break the tie.

Enzo Fernández punctuated the victory with a second goal for Argentina just before the end of regulation.

La Albiceleste was humiliated earlier this week when it threw away the lead to lose 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in its opening Group C match, immediately throwing the team's contention into doubt.

With the victory, Argentina moves into a second place tie with Saudi Arabia in the Group C standings.

Now the team has a chance to decide its fate when it plays Poland on Nov. 30. A win can guarantee Argentina's advance to the Round of 16.

CNN's Homero De La Fuente contributed to this report.

After a quiet first half, Japan has ratcheted up the attacking pressure after the break.

Following the introduction of two new faces -- Takuma Asano and Hiroki Ito -- and a change of shape, Japan has looked much more threatening already, testing Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas a few times already.

However, despite the attacking efforts, the score remains goalless and the game remains in the balance.

If the score stays 0-0, Japan will move atop the standings with four points while Costa Rica will pick up its first point of the tournament to move off the bottom of the group ahead of Germany.

With Spain and Germany playing later today, Japan and Costa Rica's fate will go down to the final round of fixtures.

French superstar Kylian Mbappé scored two goals to lead the defending FIFA World Cup champions Les Bleus to a 2-1 victory over Denmark on Saturday in Doha, Qatar.

The victory means France will advance to the knockout stage.

Mbappé opened the scoring for France in the 61st minute, burying a cross from Theo Hernandez into the back of the net. After Denmark drew the game level in the 68th minute on a goal from Andreas Christensen, the 23-year-old Mbappé scored his second of the day in the 86th minute to seal the win. 

Saturday’s brace moves Mbappé into a two-way tie with Ecuador’s Enner Valencia (with three goals) in the World Cup Golden Boot race for most goals scored in the tournament.  

The Paris Saint-Germain forward Mbappé joins Brazil’s Pele as the only players to score seven or more World Cup goals before the age of 25. His seven goals also move him into second place, behind Just Fontaine (with 13), on France’s all-time FIFA World Cup scoring list. 

With the victory, Les Bleus become the first team to clinch a berth to the Round of 16 and extend its win streak at the World Cup to a record six straight for the country. 

The teams are out and the game is back underway at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.

After a poor first half -- which a commentator on BBC radio described as the "worst 45 minutes of the World Cup so far" -- we're all hoping for an improvement.

Well, that wasn't a classic.

The first 45 minutes between Japan and Costa Rica yielded lots of endeavor and collisions, but failed to yield many moments of quality as it ended 0-0.

Costa Rica's Joel Campbell has looked the most likely to pull a moment of magic out the bag, but his efforts have flown high and wide.

Let's hope, after a drink and a chat with their respective managers, we see an improvement after the break.

It's perhaps unsurprising that both team's have begun with an onus on not conceding and not making mistakes.

Japan -- having made five changes to the team that beat Germany -- has looked lively on the break, without creating any real chances in the opening 25 minutes.

Costa Rica has had the lion's share of possession, but has also failed to create any real openings.

Under the glaring Doha sun, with temperatures reaching approximately 91°F at kick off, it could be a case of one mistake making the difference.