Saka and Rice fitness doubts grow as Curacao goalkeeper Room makes World Cup history

Bukayo Saka missed England training on Saturday and Declan Rice has admitted his ongoing injury problem dates back to Christmas, with his early withdrawal against Croatia raising serious doubts about his ability to manage it through the tournament.

Rice’s revelation adds weight to concerns that the Arsenal midfielder is struggling to stay fit across the competition. Saka’s absence from the training session compounds England’s worries in the wide areas, though neither player has been ruled out of upcoming fixtures.

Germany also have injury concerns after centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck suffered a fresh problem. Head coach Julian Nagelsmann confirmed the Liverpool transfer target will undergo a scan, adding: “It doesn’t look too good — unfortunately.” Germany recovered on the pitch, however, coming from behind to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 through Deniz Undav’s 94th-minute strike.

The standout story of the weekend was Curacao’s shock draw against Ecuador. Goalkeeper Eloy Room produced a performance for the ages, making 15 saves — the most ever recorded in 90 minutes of football at a World Cup. Room was mobbed by team-mates at the final whistle, and his Instagram following has since surged by 600,000. Manager Dick Advocaat, who previously managed Sunderland in the Premier League, was visibly emotional on the touchline throughout.

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, who kept a clean sheet against Spain, was reunited with his mother after she overcame visa issues to travel to the United States. The pair were filmed sharing a warm embrace after a training session.

A statement from World Cup broadcasters addressed why replays of Ismael Kone’s serious leg injury were not broadcast to viewers.

In Sunday’s action, Japan led Tunisia 2-0 at half-time, with Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada and Feyenoord’s Ayase Ueda both on the scoresheet. Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei hit out at FIFA’s organisation, claiming the governing body failed to arrange two planned flights to transport his squad from Mexico to Los Angeles ahead of their match against Belgium.

Marcelo Bielsa, preparing Uruguay for their clash with Cape Verde, used his press conference to attack the tournament’s hydration breaks, which divide matches into four segments. “Playing four halves instead of two alters the conception that had been culturally constructed to interpret football,” he said. “It adds nothing and takes away a lot.”