Fireworks exploded over Cairo International Stadium after Egypt qualified for the 2026 World Cup on Sunday via a 1-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau.
Fireworks exploded over Cairo International Stadium after Egypt qualified for the 2026 World Cup on Sunday via a 1-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau.Khaled Elfiqi/Associated Press
Libya’s Murad Al-Wuheeshi found himself in good company among goalkeepers committing basic errors in World Cup qualifying last week, alongside Italy’s Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Al-Wuheeshi allowed a long-distance slow roller from Sidny Cabral through, cutting his team’s lead to a goal against Cape Verde, which then rallied for a 3-3 tie which effectively eliminated the Libyans from the competition.
Libya appeared in command after Mahmoud Al-Shalui’s impressive 30-yard free kick made it 3-1 in the 58th minute — a score that might have been prevented had Cape Verde keeper Vozinha called for a three-man wall, according to commentators on Portugal’s Sport TV broadcast. In the 76th minute, though, Al-Wuheeshi committed a “frango” that was so elementary, the commentators could not stifle laughter.
So Libya were cruising against Cape Verde when this happened. Folks in Cameroon are having to plenty to say about this piece of goalkeeping from Al Tahir. #WCQ2026 pic.twitter.com/WowOlg77CP
— World Cup Qualifiers (@DiskiAfrika) October 8, 2025
Willy Semedo’s 82d-minute equalizer meant Cape Verde (6-1-2, 20 points) remained atop CAF Group D and kept Libya (4-2-3, 15 points) in third place. Victory over last-place Eswatini (0-6-3) in Praia on Monday would clinch Cape Verde’s first World Cup final appearance.
As for Donnarumma, his fumble of a cross turned out to be incidental in a 3-1 win over Estonia in Tallinn on Saturday. Few people could have expected such an error from the goalkeeper who won the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain last season, but Rauno Sappinen was not among them, as he poked in the 76th-minute rebound.
i swear bro’s weakness is catching😭😭😭 brother please don’t bring this to my club😭🙏🏼 https://t.co/sLE3puiteZ pic.twitter.com/0sXcXkGeOY
— m🦈 (@mahmoushhh) October 11, 2025
Italy had been struggling up front, as Moise Kean (leg) departed and Mateo Retegui misfired on a penalty kick, but the Azzurri upped the advantage to three thanks to Francesco Pio Esposito’s first international goal.
The Azzurri are placing high expectations on the 6-foot-3 Pio, as he’s known by teammates, who is 20 years old and is in his first season in Serie A with Inter. But even should Italy (4-1-0, 12 points) run the Group I qualifying table, it seems, at best, to be headed for a playoff spot for the third straight time. Norway (6-0-0, 18 points) has effectively wrapped up the group with a 29-3 goal differential.
The Norwegians have come far since the 1994 World Cup, when Alf-Inge Haaland was in the lineup for a 1-0 loss to Italy (which was playing a man down) at Giants Stadium. Much of the credit goes to Alf-Inge’s 25-year-old-son, Erling, who completed a hat trick in a 5-0 victory over Israel in Oslo — despite missing two penalty kicks — improving his total to 51 in 46 internationals since 2019.
Erling Haaland has now scored in 🔟 consecutive matches for club and country 🤯 pic.twitter.com/a93xx5Wmxz
— Premier League (@premierleague) October 11, 2025
Daniel Peretz saved Haaland’s initial attempt, but was determined to have left the line early, leading to a re-take, which he again stopped.
There were pro-Palestine protests at Ullevaal Stadion and more are expected when Italy meets Israel (3-3-0, 9 points) in Udine Tuesday. The Israelis have been contesting “home” games in Hungary.
Elsewhere on the pitch
⋅ Cristiano Ronaldo also failed on a penalty, but Rúben Neves’s injury-time score gave Portugal a 1-0 win over Ireland in Lisbon. Portugal (3-0-0, 9 points) can clinch a finals spot against Hungary (1-1-1, 4 points) on Tuesday. Ireland (0-2-, 1 point) can get back in contention for a playoff spot against Armenia (1-2-0, 3 points) in Dublin.
⋅ Albania moved into second place behind England in Group K with a 1-0 decision over Serbia in Leskovac, leading to Serbia coach Dragan “Pixie” Stojkovic’s resignation. Former Revolution goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic started for Serbia, which was missing defender Nikola Milenkovic, suspended after his amateurish tackle on Harry Kane earned a red card in a 5-0 loss to England last month. Serbia (2-2-1, 7 points), trailing Albania (3-1-2, 11 points), will likely get back into contention against Andorra. England (5-0-0, 15 points) can come close to clinching a finals berth at Latvia on Tuesday.
⋅ Saturday turned out to be a good day for Colombia, which took a 3-2 victory over Spain in the U-20 World Cup and a 4-0 blasting of Mexico in a friendly before a crowd of 72,438 in Arlington, Texas. Néiser Villarreal scored a hat trick for the U-20 Cafeteros, and the senior team outclassed and outmuscled Mexico, which made this a nightmare game for referee Ismail Elfath, who had enough of being hounded and whistled the end at 90 minutes even.
It might have been a bad day on the field for the Mexicans, whose U-20 team was eliminated, 2-0, by Argentina, but they likely profited from the appearance at AT&T Stadium, plus a “huge” crowd — according to the Arizona Republic; attendance wasn’t announced — for the Clasico friendly between Club America and CD Guadalajara in Glendale, Ariz.
⋅ As for Mexico’s partners in tri-hosting the World Cup, Canada fell, 1-0, to Australia in Montreal, and the US tied Ecuador, 1-1, in Austin, Texas.
The Canadians announced the long-term loss of defender Moise Bombito to a broken left tibia. Bombito recently recovered from a similar injury, plus a broken wrist.
The US, meanwhile, equalized against Ecuador via Folarin Balogun, who survived the clash that injured Bombito during a club game in France’s Ligue 1. Enner Valencia opened the scoring, and the US converted after a turnover following a botched goal kick involving Ecuador keeper Hernán Galíndez and defender Willian Pacho.
On Tuesday, it’s Canada-Colombia in Harrison, N.J.; Mexico-Ecuador in Guadalajara; and US-Australia in Commerce City, Colo.
🇦🇪 Caio Lucas decides to have the final say in this exhilarating encounter! #AsianQualifiers | #UAEvOMA pic.twitter.com/RyCQS23fsr
— #AsianQualifiers (@afcasiancup) October 11, 2025
⋅ Caio Canedo, formerly of Nantucket High School, helped the United Arab Emirates close in on a berth from the Asian Football Confederation with a 2-1 win over Oman in Rayyan, Qatar. Canedo helped set up Caio Lucas for an 83d-minute tie-breaker, meaning the UAE can advance with at least a draw against Qatar on Tuesday. The UAE twice defeated Qatar, 3-1 and 5-0, in group play qualifying last year.
Caio Lucas was last seen locally competing for Benfica in an exhibition against Milan at Gillette Stadium in 2019.