Soccer

Brazil suffered a 1-0 loss to Cameroon in its final group-stage match at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar on Friday but still advanced to the round of 16 in the top spot of Group G.

One player stood out thanks to his energy and effort as Brazil rested most of its top players. Brazilian forward Gabriel Martinelli had an impressive showing and provided excitement for the fans at Lusail Stadium.

Making his first start for Brazil, Martinelli put pressure on Cameroon's defenders early and often. The 21-year-old Arsenal star put three shots on goal, the first on a header in the 14th minute that was saved by Cameroon goalkeeper Devis Epassy.

He sent another shot on goal in stoppage time before the end of the first half and again in the 56th minute, both of which Epassy saved as part of his eight saves in the shutout. Martinelli's last attempt in stoppage time was off the mark.

Observers on social media were impressed by Martinelli's standout performance for Brazil, and many hope to see more of him during the knockout stage:

Brazil is slated to face South Korea on Monday in the round of 16. The team will be motivated to get a better result, and it has found a weapon in Martinelli.

As the favorite to win the tournament, Brazil should use every weapon at its disposal, and the youngster could play a big role as the team tries to win a sixth World Cup title.

Cristiano Ronaldo was involved in creating a goal in Portugal's 2-1 loss to South Korea at the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Friday.

The problem for Ronaldo was that his header off a corner kick helped South Korea equalize through Kim Young-Gwon.

Ronaldo was mocked for his inclusion in the goal concession because he actually got his head on the ball to create this goal, unlike the one he tried to claim against Uruguay that was scored by Bruno Fernandes.

Ronaldo's error on the South Korea equalizer allowed the Asian side to get back into the game. South Korea scored a late game-winner to advance to the knockout round and end Uruguay's chances of advancing.

Ronaldo was on the field for 65 minutes in the defeat. He was not effective in the final third and his best opportunity resulted in a shot that soared past the South Korea goal.

Ronaldo finished the group stage with a single goal, which came from the penalty spot in the group opener against Ghana. He has not scored from open play in his last six appearances for Portugal.

Portugal netted five goals in Group H after Ronaldo's penalty against Ghana. Bruno Fernandes had a brace against Uruguay. João Félix, Rafael Leão and Ricardo Horta all scored for the Group H winner as well.

Despite the loss, Portugal still advanced through to the knockout round as the Group H winner. Portugal will face the Group G runner-up, which will likely be Switzerland or Serbia, in the round of 16 on Tuesday.

United States men's national soccer team star Christian Pulisic has been cleared to play in Saturday's round-of-16 match against the Netherlands at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Pulisic scored in the 38th minute of USMNT's 1-0 win over Iran on Tuesday, which clinched the squad's spot in the knockout stage. He slid into the goalkeeper on the goal and suffered a pelvic contusion.

While he finished the first half, he was substituted at the start of the second half and spent some time in the hospital before meeting up with his teammates at the team hotel to celebrate the win.

Pulisic is pushing to play against the Netherlands, saying Thursday he would do "everything in my power" to be in the starting lineup.

However, when speaking to ESPN's Sam Borden, he suggested he may not be healthy enough to go a full 90 minutes, saying he was working with the medical team to be able to go at "110 percent" for "however long I can be out on that field."

The 24-year-old is unquestionably the United States' top offensive player with 22 goals in 55 career appearances for the senior national team. The next closest on the team is Weston McKennie with nine goals.

Pulisic's goal against Iran was the biggest of his career and among the most important in the history of American men's soccer.

The United States missed out on qualifying for the World Cup four years ago, but it has advanced past the group stage in each of the past three World Cups they have qualified for and four of the past five.

Getting any further has been a challenge, though, as the Americans fell in the round of 16 in both 2010 and 2014.

The U.S. will truly have to earn a quarterfinals berth for the first time since 2002. The Dutch have never missed the knockout stage at a World Cup they qualified for, and they were the runners-up in 2010 and finished third in 2014.

They had two wins and a draw in the group stage, led by forward Cody Gakpo, who scored once in each of the group-stage matches.

Pulisic and the United States will look to upset the Netherlands when they clash at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday.

Brazilian soccer icon Pelé has been diagnosed with bronchopneumonia after undergoing tests Thursday and is receiving antibiotics for the illness, according to ESPN Brasil (via ESPN).

Pelé's daughter Kely Nascimento said in an Instagram post that her 82-year-old father had been hospitalized Tuesday at Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo to regulate the medication for a colon tumor.

"Lots of alarm in the media today concerning my dad's health. He is in the hospital regulating medication," Nascimento wrote. "There is no emergency or new dire prediction. I will be there for New Years and promise to post some pictures."

While Pelé's manager didn't provide a comment, a source told ESPN Brasil that "the medical staff reported the condition of anarsaca, generalized edema and decompensated heart failure." The source added that his cardiac issues have caused the medical staff to express concern that "chemotherapy treatment was not having the expected results."

Pelé, who has suffered multiple health complications over the past five years, had a tumor removed from his colon in September 2021, which has caused him to be hospitalized regularly. Albert Einstein Hospital issued a statement Wednesday addressing his treatment:

"Edson Arantes do Nascimento was hospitalised at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein yesterday (29) for a reevaluation of the chemotherapy treatment for the colon tumor identified in September 2021.

"After medical evaluation, the patient was taken to a common room, with no need for admission to a semi-intensive unit or ICU. The former player is in full control of vital functions and stable clinical condition."

Pelé is universally regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time. His 1,279 career goals, including those scored in friendlies, are recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most scored by a footballer. He helped lead Brazil to three FIFA World Cup titles, the only player in history to do so.

Japan upset Spain 2-1 on Thursday in the group stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar at Khalifa International Stadium to claim the top spot in Group E and reach the round of 16.

Álvaro Morata opened the scoring for Spain in the 11th minute with a header from about six yards out, and they entered halftime with a 1-0 lead. However, the team's second-half performance was subpar.

Ritsu Doan tied the game in the 48th minute on a whistling shot from outside the box that beat Unai Simón, and Ao Tanaka scored just minutes later to put Japan up 2-1 in the 51st minute.

Luis Enrique's squad is still advancing to the knockouts despite the loss, sitting second in Group E, beating out Germany on goal difference and Costa Rica on points.

However, it was a frustrating and disappointing loss for Spain, which got lazy in the second half, and journalists and fans are calling their performance against Japan "arrogant."

With the win, Japan is now moving on to face Croatia in the round of 16 on Monday, while Spain will face Morocco on Tuesday.

Four other elimination stage matches have also been set. The United States and Netherlands will meet on Saturday, as will Argentina and Australia. France and Poland will go head-to-head on Sunday, along with England and Senegal.

Germany didn't control its own destiny heading into the final round of games in Group E play at the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Thursday, and it cost the four-time champions.

While the Germans upheld their end of the bargain, beating Costa Rica 4-2, Japan's stunning 2-1 victory over Spain in the group's other game meant the Samurai Blue clinched the top spot in the group with six points and the Spaniards moved on because of superior goal differential over Germany.

Coming to Qatar, nobody would have predicted Germany failing to make the group stage for a second straight tournament, let alone Japan beating both them and Spain, another perennial power, to top the group.

That unpredictability is what makes the World Cup so special. The polarity between the elation and agony is what makes it such a compelling watch, and football Twitter was stunned that the Germans once again found themselves on the anguish end of the spectrum:

Germany will need to take a long, hard look in the proverbial mirror after going from a 2014 World Cup title to consecutive group-stage failures. This wasn't any easy group, but it's still one a traditional powerhouse like the Germans would be expected to navigate.

Granted, they aren't alone in their failure to advance. Earlier Thursday, it was Belgium that didn't escape Group F, a huge surprise given the talent on that roster. And it was a surprise group winner, Morocco, that earned the hearts of neutral observers around the world, at least until Japan shook things up later in the day.

Nothing is guaranteed at the World Cup. For the second straight tournament, Germany learned that lesson the hard way.