Carlos Queiroz attributed Iran's vital World Cup win over Wales on Friday to his players going back to their "roots".
Rouzbeh Cheshmi and Ramin Rezaeian both scored in stoppage time to seal a 2-0 victory for Iran after Wayne Hennessey had been sent off late on for Wales.
Iran were thumped 6-2 by England in their opening game in Qatar, but a deserved three points against the Dragons has injected fresh life into their bid to reach the last 16.
Queiroz was thrilled by his side's display, describing the win as a "gift" to Iran's fans.
"We played with amazing character," he said. "We always play with a sense of unity and cohesion. Today, we went back to our roots. We were able to put everything in our minds.
"The second point was to get rid of this bad feeling of bleeding. I told the players very clearly, football, it is a game of different moments. It is not because you win or you do not win. Sometimes you lose your dignity, you lose your honour.
"First game, we were bleeding in our pride. This was an opportunity to rebound, close, to stop bleeding and get back to credibility, to show the football we have inside our souls, inside our minds.
"What was important today was to keep our hopes open. Today, we scored and we have three points.
"Now we need to be sure we are good enough to go to the second round. This game was a gift to Iranian fans. North, south, east and west, it is a gift to all of them."
Wales' hopes of reaching the round of 16 are hanging by a thread following the defeat, with the Dragons needing to beat England on Tuesday to stand any chance of escaping Group B.
Boss Rob Page knows his side will have their work cut out against the Three Lions, but he insists his players will do everything to give Welsh supporters something to cheer.
"We want to finish the competition on a high," he said. "It's out of our hands in regards to going through, but we want to finish with a good performance and a win.
"We're low at the minute, but we'll get them back up tomorrow and prepare for another tough game to finish with.
"We've got to get on with it. We can't sit and cry about it. We've got an opportunity to go and put it right. Thankfully, the game is just around the corner so we can go back out.
"We want to give our supporters something to cheer about. They've shown massive commitment to come over, and that really disappoints me as well, that we've given that performance for them today.
"We'll bounce back, we'll pick them up and we'll go again."
Robert Lewandowski remains Poland's "number one" penalty taker despite missing his spot-kick against Mexico, head coach Czeslaw Michniewicz has confirmed.
Having drawn a blank in Russia four years ago, the Barcelona forward is still awaiting his first World Cup goal after Guillermo Ochoa denied him from 12 yards in the Eagles' Group C opener on Tuesday.
But Michniewicz confirmed Lewandowski remains Poland's first choice should they be awarded another penalty in their second group game against Saudi Arabia.
"When it comes to the penalties, Robert is still number one," the head coach said. "As a striker, of course, he will make a decision whether he will shoot or pass it on to someone else. He feels ready to score for Poland."
Jan Bednarek believes while Lewandowski will be desperate to break his finals duck, the captain's main focus is on the team's performance in Qatar.
"Robert Lewandowski is our captain, he's a striker, he wants to score as many goals as he can," the on-loan Aston Villa defender said. "But for him, the good of the team is most important. He wants us to win.
"He hides his pride in his pocket, and he really focuses on working as hard as he can. It's not important to him if he scores or not, he wants us to win the match.
"He's got his individual objective, but I am convinced he places the team's success at the top. This is the best striker in the world. I hope he leads us to win. I don't know if he will score or not, but the most important thing is for us to win."
Andre Onana revealed he is always learning from fellow Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic, while he draws inspiration from Germany captain Manuel Neuer.
The former Ajax stopper joined the Nerazzurri on a free transfer ahead of this season, eventually replacing veteran Handanovic between the sticks after watching their opening eight Serie A matches from the bench.
Onana frequently picks up tips from the 38-year-old, but it is Bayern Munich counterpart Neuer who he regards as "the greatest."
"Handanovic is a giant, I take off my hat to him," he told SportWeek. "He always helps and advises me. I'm a modern goalkeeper, I go out, I take a lot of risks and I play with my feet.
"As a child, I dreamed watching the miracles of [Gianluigi] Buffon and [Iker] Casillas, but the greatest is Neuer: he does crazy things, I am inspired by him."
Onana is on international duty with Cameroon at the World Cup, starting the 1-0 loss against Switzerland, and is set to feature in their remaining Group G encounters with Serbia and Brazil.
The 26-year-old revealed that following the defeat by the Swiss, the Indomitable Lions received a surprise visit from one of their all-time greats.
"The defeat against Switzerland is already behind us," he added. "[Samuel] Eto'o came to the locker room to encourage us.
"[Our] heads [are] held high for the next challenges with Serbia and Brazil at the World Cup. The goal is to qualify for the knockout rounds. For us, the dream remains alive, intact and achievable."
Saudi Arabia produced surely the result of the 2022 World Cup when they stunned Lionel Messi's Argentina this week, but they are not done there.
Herve Renard's men came from behind to beat the Albiceleste 2-1, scoring with their only two shots for one of the tournament's biggest ever upsets.
The odds were stacked against Saudi Arabia in that match, as they will be again on matchday two as they tackle Poland.
Saudi Arabia have lost nine of their 10 World Cup matches against European opposition, including each of the past eight in a row.
That dismal run included an 8-0 humiliation at the hands of Germany in 2002, but forward Saleh Al Shehri knows this is a very different team.
"That was a defeat in the past," said Al Shehri. "I think we, as a country, want to get back and go up to the top as a team.
"And I guess in the 20 years, we worked a lot, we worked hard. Now, in 2022, in Qatar, we made history, and there's still more to come."
Al Shehri scored the equaliser against Argentina, setting Saudi Arabia on their way to a second straight World Cup win after another 2-1 success against Egypt in 2018.
Saudi Arabia had won only two of their previous 15 games at the finals – again in succession in 1994 – while this is the first time they have scored twice in consecutive matches.
They have never netted three in a World Cup match, though, and face a Poland team looking for a third clean sheet in a row – last achieving such a sequence between 1974 and 1978.
"I think about the pressure," added Al Shehri. "Every game has its own pressure.
"We did one job perfectly. It's finished and we are waiting for the next game against Poland. The pressure is always on when you play at this top level."
Poland may be tight at the back but have struggled in attack, attempting only six shots in the 0-0 draw with Mexico.
It was their sixth goalless draw in 35 World Cup matches, making up 17 per cent – the largest such percentage of any team to play 15 or more games.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Poland – Arkadiusz Milik
Milik is never likely to start while Poland play with only one striker, but the Juventus man will continue to get opportunities from the bench while Robert Lewandowski's drought drags on. Lewandowski has not scored in his four World Cup outings, attempting 11 shots – including that unsuccessful penalty against Mexico.
Saudi Arabia – Salem Al Dawsari
Al Dawsari could have retired a Saudi Arabia World Cup hero even before this tournament, having netted a stoppage-time winner against Egypt in 2018. Now, after topping that effort with the decisive goal in the Argentina game, he is just the second Saudi player to score in multiple World Cups. Sami Al Jaber, the other, netted three goals in total, a record Al Dawsari can match with another key strike.
PREDICTION
Saudi Arabia might have beaten Argentina, but the supercomputer still does not expect them to follow that up with victory against Poland. They are given just a 20.0 per cent chance.
Poland are clear favourites at 55.5 per cent... or could there be another 0-0 on the cards? The draw is rated more likely than a Saudi Arabia victory at 24.5 per cent.
Rouzbeh Cheshmi and Ramin Rezaeian both scored in stoppage time to secure Iran a famous 2-0 World Cup win over Wales and keep their hopes of reaching the last 16 alive in stunning fashion.
Wales, who had Wayne Hennessey sent off late on, had seemingly been on course to somehow avoid defeat, but two fine goals right at the end sparked bedlam among the Iran team and fans.
Iran opting to sing their national anthem after abstaining against England contributed to a charged atmosphere that brought an early flurry, including a disallowed Ali Gholizadeh goal.
That let-off and the fact Gholizadeh and Sardar Azmoun struck the post just after the break suggested luck was on Wales' side.
But Hennessey's red card for a wild challenge turned the tide, and Iran picked the Dragons off in ruthless and remarkable fashion.
Hugo Lloris is confident Adrien Rabiot will prove crucial to France's World Cup defence following his impressive display against Australia, while Didier Deschamps wants even more from Ousmane Dembele.
Injuries to Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante opened the door for Rabiot to assume a central role in Qatar, and he did not let Les Bleus down in their 4-1 win over the Socceroos.
The Juventus midfielder grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck before the break, cancelling out Craig Goodwin's earlier strike by scoring the equaliser before assisting the first of Olivier Giroud's two goals.
Rabiot subsequently became the first France player to both score and assist a goal on his World Cup debut since Christophe Dugarry against South Africa in 1998.
Lloris said: "A lot has been said about the absences of Kante and Pogba, who have been vital engines for us for some years now.
"But you can forget that there are players who can step up and have the maturity and experience to take a leading role – Adrien has that.
"We know his qualities, there is an opportunity for him at this World Cup.
"The opportunity is coming at the right time and he has shown that against Australia.
"He stepped up and scored that goal and gave an assist to Olivier, it shows the impact he can have on the team.
"We know how talented he is, but he also is a very hard worker, he is very technically gifted, a very elegant player. I'm sure he'll help us go as far as possible."
Meanwhile, Deschamps believes Dembele must continue to strive for improvement, despite grabbing an assist in the Australia victory.
The Barcelona forward, whose brilliant cross set up Kylian Mbappe, started France's first two games at the 2018 tournament, but made just two further substitute appearances in Russia.
He was then unused during the victory over Croatia in the final.
But Deschamps insists Dembele has not arrived in Qatar with a point to prove, saying: "I don't think he wants to make up for it or forget it; he was in 2018 squad, and it was successful.
"Four years ago, he was going through a difficult time with major injuries. Now, he is more mature, but he is still full of youthful exuberance. He is in a club that is very demanding, and maybe he is better at that club.
"He is always capable of creating problems for the opponent as he is so quick and skilful, but he needs to rule out any wastefulness and be as effective as he possibly can.
"He was pleased to be in first XI [against Australia], and he put in a good performance."
France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris believes Richarlison has proven his qualities for Brazil, silencing his doubters with a double against Serbia.
Richarlison was the star of the show for Brazil in Doha on Thursday, as Tite's team started their World Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory at Lusail Stadium.
The Tottenham forward tucked in an opportunistic opener in the 62nd minute, before lashing an acrobatic attempt into the left-hand corner to seal the victory in style.
Brazil's win was marred by an ankle injury for Neymar, though Tite was confident the Paris Saint-Germain star would recover.
Asked about his Spurs team-mate, as well as Neymar's injury, while previewing France's Group D clash with Denmark, Lloris said: "Neymar is an icon in global football, but I'm not going to talk about him that much, I don't know how serious the injury is.
"For Richarlison, I'm delighted for him, he's not one of the better-known players in the Brazil squad and maybe not everyone expected to be in XI, but he's a great player, a great goalscorer – as he proved with the first goal but then a wonderful second goal.
"[It was] spectacular, and the best goal of the tournament so far, so that's great for him.
"We know how good a team Brazil is, they're favourites. They'll be delighted to win the first game, that's what they needed to do, to get out on the front foot."
Holders France can seal their place in the last 16 by beating Denmark on Saturday, though they go into that match having lost their last two meetings with the Danes, both of those defeats coming in this year's Nations League.
Lloris said: "It gives you an idea of the level of this Danish team, it's an excellent side and capable of beating the best.
"It's been a wake-up for us, we can't say we don't know them and we don't need extra motivation, [it's] a decisive game for qualification. If you look at the first games between Tunisia and Denmark, you can see that we have a lot of work to do. Every team is in a good place."
"They are underestimated," France coach Didier Deschamps said of Denmark, who have kept a clean sheet in three of their last five World Cup games.
"We're talking about just between June and September where they beat us twice and made life difficult. We have to make sure that's not the case. It's not a question of revenge, we know their players, they know us.
"We'll learn from those experiences but Denmark can learn too."
Australia and Tunisia are hungry to snatch a rare World Cup victory when they meet at Al Janoub Stadium on Saturday, knowing they could take a huge step towards the knockout stage.
After Australia were torched 4-1 by France, Graham Arnold will look to rouse his side for a clash with a Tunisia side who revelled in having huge support against Denmark, earning a 0-0 draw against the European Championship semi-finalists.
That result for Tunisia – just a second clean sheet for the team in 16 matches at the World Cup – has raised hopes of advancing beyond the group stage for the first time, at what is their sixth World Cup.
"We want to get past this round, this is our main objective, and we're quite optimistic about achieving this goal," said coach Jalel Kadri.
It is a lip-smacking opportunity for them against a Socceroos side who took the lead against France before being blown away by the firepower of the World Cup holders.
Australia have lost 11 of their 17 games at the World Cup (65 per cent), and have failed to win in their last seven outings on this stage, their longest winless streak in the competition.
Tunisia had just 38.7 per cent of the ball against Denmark and their passing accuracy in the opposition half was a disappointing 55.4 per cent; however, they won a healthy 55.8 per cent of duels.
Australia had just 37.6 per cent of possession against France, and the outcome of that game means they have now managed only one clean sheet in 17 World Cup games.
Kadri said: "We're playing a strong group and today we have one point, and we should invest this energy we have in the next match as well."
He said of the crowd's raucous support for his team: "It gives us a great lift and we're looking forward to seeing the fans continue to do that."
Australia midfielder Jackson Irvine, who plays club football in Germany for St Pauli, wants to see a response after the France result.
He said: "To feel disappointed... is huge testament to the mentality of the group and that desire to win and get results, and it's definitely something we have in us all the time and continue to have going into these next couple of huge games."
Citing the "very different opposition", Irvine predicted: "The game will flow in a totally different way."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Tunisia – Issam Jebali
Jebali had Tunisia's best opportunities in the Denmark game, with his three goal chances being worth a total of 0.53 expected goals (xG) out of a team total of 0.92. Denmark's Andreas Cornelius (0.93) was the only player on the pitch with a higher xG score, having missed a golden close-range chance to win the game.
Tunisia will hope for Jebali to be sharper with his finishing against Australia. Kadri has Wahbi Khazri waiting in the wings, promising he will "get his chance", with many surprised the Montpellier man played no part against Denmark.
Australia – Mat Ryan
Goalkeeper Ryan and winger Mathew Leckie could both make their eighth World Cup starts for Australia, setting a new national record at the finals.
Ryan suffered against France as Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud and Co made his day a misery, and he will be looking to earn a rare World Cup shut-out this time around.
PREDICTION
Tunisia are given a 47.6 per cent chance of winning this one, while Australia have only a 25.6 per cent prospect of snatching the three points, according to Opta's AI model.
The draw, therefore, is a 27.1 per cent possibility, but with the stakes so high, victory is imperative for both teams. A draw, you might imagine, would likely be a crushing blow to each team's hopes of reaching the last-16 stage.
This will be just the third meeting between Tunisia and Australia – Australia won 3-0 in a friendly in 1997, before Tunisia won 2-0 at the 2005 Confederations Cup.
Lucas Hernandez has successfully undergone surgery after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in France's 4-1 World Cup opening win against Australia on Tuesday.
Hernandez's club Bayern Munich confirmed he had the operation in Innsbruck on Thursday, with his rehabilitation to commence in Munich in the coming days.
The defender was ruled out of the remainder of the World Cup due to the injury that saw him replaced after only 13 minutes.
Bayern did not provide a timeframe on Hernandez's recovery but it is expected he will miss the rest of the 2022-23 season.
Hernandez is the latest injury blow for the world champions, who saw Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante, Karim Benzema and Christopher Nkunku all ruled out before the tournament started.
France head coach Didier Deschamps said after Tuesday's game: "Like the whole group, players and staff, I am extremely sorry for Lucas.
"We are losing an important element. Lucas is a warrior and I have no doubt that he will do everything possible to return to the game.
"I know him well. Courage, he will have it, that's for sure. On behalf of the group, I wish him the best possible recovery."
Hernandez has made 11 appearances, including 10 starts, for Bayern this season, having missed six weeks with an adductor injury sustained in September.
Tite admitted it was a tough call to pick a starting striker, but he was thrilled with the performance of Richarlison after netting both of Brazil's goals in their 2-0 victory against Serbia on Thursday.
Richarlison got the nod at number nine ahead of Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus and Flamengo's Pedro, and after a scoreless first half, he was on hand to prod home the opener in the 62nd minute after Vinicius Junior's shot was parried into his path.
That would just be the appetiser, as just 10 minutes later he produced what will be a contender for goal of the tournament as he controlled Vinicius' shin-high cross with his left foot, popping it up in the air before acrobatically spinning and volleying it home over his shoulder with his right boot.
It was his 19th senior international goal, to go with 88 club goals in his career, and after the match he said he believes it could be his best.
"It was a beautiful goal," he told reporters. "Probably one of the nicest in all of my career.
"It's the World Cup, it was a tough match… it was one of the nicest goals I have ever scored."
Tite spoke about how agonising it was to choose between the wealth of forward talent at his disposal, but also of how impressed he was by Richarlison, particularly in the second half.
"I must tell you, I had six or seven names to call [as striker], and whoever I called, we would have had a great team," Tite said.
"So we came with Pedro, Richarlison and Gabriel. We could have had [Gabriel] Barbosa, we could have had Firmino, we could have had [Matheus] Cunha, we could have had Hulk. We have a huge number, and you have to pick someone.
"Richarlison is fantastic, we see how he controls the ball… in the second half he created a lot of volume, he adjusted, he calmed down a little bit, he was more precise in his passes.
"The first touch of the ball is crucial to make it flow, and then he started with volume, volume, volume of plays."
When asked if he was potentially disappointed with how much of a struggle things were early on, Tite made it clear he does not view Serbia as an easy fixture.
"Serbia were very, very good, very quick in the first half," he said. "But here, you have to keep that rhythm, and keep that level of marking during the entire match.
"They ended the first half very quick, very good technical skill, they were able to start the ball and put it into play quickly, and we weren't able to stop them from putting the ball into play.
"They are a team, which in the qualifiers they took out Portugal, and in a very consistent manner they played in the qualifiers with opponents at a very high level. They are a great team, and we were able to control them in both halves. We were able to produce more offensively in the second half because of our fine-tuning.
"They had very, very high quality. There was always a lot of pressure, so it did require a lot from us."
Brazil will continue their campaign in Group G on Monday when they take on Switzerland, before closing their group stage against Cameroon next Friday.
Dragan Stojkovic was made to rue Serbia's injury problems after their defeat by Brazil, believing they could have mounted a greater challenge with a fully-fit squad.
The Eagles went down 2-0 against the five-time World Cup winners in their opening match at the finals, with Richarlison's second-half double settling the Group F clash at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
Having just returned from a foot injury, Aleksandar Mitrovic failed to register a single shot on goal, while Dusan Vlahovic appeared from the bench after recently recovering from a groin problem, and winger Filip Kostic was an unused substitute due to muscular issues.
Stojkovic believes his side felt the consequences of having three key players lacking fitness.
"One of the factors [in Serbia's performance] that was quite surprising for me was the physical factor," he said. "We simply could not recognise our team.
"In the second half, we fell physically, and we were no longer a team. Of course, Brazil knew how to take advantage of this because they have excellent players, and they punished us.
"We have three key players who are injured, it's too much for us. We are not Brazil with 200 million people, we are a very small country. They got injured just before the World Cup, so it's really unlucky.
"Tonight, we would have a different scenario if my players were healthy, but there’s no shame to lose against Brazil.
"It would be a completely different story, 100 per cent, but they are not ready and that’s the way it is."
Serbia have now lost eight of their 10 World Cup matches since 2006, with only Australia (nine) registering more defeats during that time.
Stojkovic's side will look to respond when they face Cameroon on Monday, before concluding their Group G campaign against Switzerland four days later.
Tite is confident Neymar will continue playing at the World Cup for Brazil despite the ankle injury he sustained in a bruising opening contest with Serbia.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward limped off in the latter stages of the Selecao's 2-0 victory, which was sealed by Richarlison's second-half brace, having been repeatedly fouled at Lusail Stadium.
Neymar looked close to tears as he received treatment on the bench, before being pictured with a swollen ankle as he made his way to the dressing room.
Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar confirmed the 30-year-old will undergo further assessment in the next 24 to 48 hours but Tite, who revealed Neymar continued playing a further 11 minutes after sustaining the injury, is adamant he will return.
"[Neymar] felt this pain throughout the game, but he decided to stay on the pitch to help his team," the head coach said.
"So it's remarkable that he could bear this pain while his team was playing. He stayed 11 minutes on the pitch after his injury, until the moment he could no longer continue, and he was substituted.
"We are confident that Neymar will continue playing; he will continue playing in the World Cup.
"I didn't see Neymar was injured – the capacity he had to overcome it tricked me, I only saw it now in the video. When he actually dribbled, it caused that injury, and in that second goal you see when he controlled the ball that he felt it."
Luis Enrique described Gavi's abilities as "out of the ordinary" following his scintillating World Cup debut for Spain.
Barcelona teenager Gavi marked his major tournament bow by scoring an exquisite volley as Luis Enrique's team thrashed Costa Rica 7-0 on Wednesday, becoming the third-youngest goalscorer in World Cup history.
Only Brazil great Pele in 1958 (17 years, 239 days) and Mexico's Manuel Rosas in 1930 (18 years, 93 days) have hit the net at the tournament when younger than Gavi, who did so at the age of 18 years and 110 days.
Asked about Gavi's abilities during a Twitch livestream on Thursday, Luis Enrique said: "It's not very normal, it's something out of the ordinary.
"We all realise how difficult it is to do it at the age that he does it.
"He has good defensive appreciation. Controlling his energy is one of the things Gavi is improving. Hopefully that impetus helps him to win many balls."
Spain's second Group E fixture sees them take on Hansi Flick's Germany in a heavyweight contest on Sunday, with Die Mannschaft reeling following their surprise defeat to Japan.
Depending on the result of Japan's meeting with Costa Rica earlier on Sunday, another Spain victory could see them condemn the four-time winners to a group-stage exit, and Enrique expects to make changes to his starting line-up.
"I hardly repeat an eleven. It's hard for me. There will surely be some changes," Enrique said. "They train so well that now anyone could play with a total guarantee of a good performance.
"Today we analysed the Germany-Japan match, and we take into account its characteristics to find the players in the best shape."
Richarlison scored twice as Brazil opened their World Cup campaign with a routine 2-0 win over Serbia.
The Tottenham forward broke the deadlock with a close-range finish just after the hour mark at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
Richarlison then sealed the points with a stunning acrobatic effort 17 minutes from time as Tite's side made a winning start in Group G.
The Selecao remain unbeaten in their opening match at the finals since 1934, when they lost 3-1 to Spain in the first round.
Unbeaten in their past 15 World Cup group games, Brazil controlled the first half, but without creating many goalscoring opportunities.
Casemiro tested Vanja Milinkovic-Savic with an ambitious effort from distance, while the Serbia goalkeeper was quickly off his line to prevent Vinicius Junior latching onto Thiago Silva's precise throughball.
The Selecao carved their opponents' defence open with a neat one-two between Raphinha and Lucas Paqueta in the 35th minute, but the Barcelona forward could only shoot straight at Milinkovic-Savic.
Brazil carried a greater threat after the break. Milinkovic-Savic rescued Serbia by denying Raphinha, who had dispossessed Nemanja Gudelj outside his own penalty area, while Neymar fired wide from close range.
Alex Sandro rattled the post from 30 yards before the Samba Boys finally broke through in the 62nd minute; Richarlison prodding home the rebound after Milinkovic-Savic parried Vinicius' initial effort.
Richarlison then gave Brazil breathing space in emphatic fashion 11 minutes later; controlling Vinicius' low, hard cross with his left foot, before swivelling and sending a magnificent acrobatic volley flying into the bottom corner with his right.
Tite's side almost increased their advantage as Casemiro hit the crossbar and Milinkovic-Savic denied Rodrygo, but the two-goal margin was enough to lift them to the Group G summit.
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