Egypt forward Mohamed Salah is "almost 100%" certain to play in Friday's World Cup opener against Uruguay in Yekaterinburg, says boss Hector Cuper. Salah, 25, has not played since injuring shoulder ligaments during Liverpool's Champions League final defeat by Real Madrid on 26 May. "I can almost assure you 100% he will play, save unforeseen circumstances at the very last minute," said Cuper. "He could become the top goalscorer here and one of the greatest players." Cuper said Salah was "doing very well" and had recovered "very, very quickly". He added: "We're trying to make him feel confident. The doctors are giving him the option to play or not, but I know Salah very well and I'm sure he's not afraid, he's not fearful." Defender Ali Gabr should also be fit to play after bruising his face in training. Uruguay, meanwhile, are expected to name a youthful midfield featuring 20 year-old Rodrigo Bentancur and Nahitan Nandez, 22. But they boast plenty of experience elsewhere, not least the potent frontline of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.
World Cup-winning nations Titles Team Year(s) 5 Brazil 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002 4 Germany[n 1] 1954, 1974, 1990, 2014 4 Italy 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006 2 Argentina 1978, 1986 2 Uruguay 1930, 1950 1 England 1966 1 France 1998 1 Spain 2010
With a Coach Who Pulls Teeth to Relax, Iceland Becomes a Contender
Heimir Hallgrimsson is a laid-back leader and sometime dentist who sees success for Iceland’s national team as a continuing journey unconnected to its 2018 World Cup finish
Heimir Hallgrimsson coaches the national
soccer team of Iceland. With about 330,000
people, Iceland is the smallest nation to ever qualify
for the World Cup.
REYKJAVIK, Iceland — As the coach of the most successful national soccer team in Icelandic history, Heimir Hallgrimsson has had to make some sacrifices. This year, for instance, he was abroad with the team and could not dress up as his favorite mythological character, Gryla the child-snatching troll, at the Christmas party in Heimaey, his hometown. Because Gryla’s costume obscures the wearer’s identity, few people realized that Hallgrimsson was for many years the man in the troll suit. “I don’t know who did it this year,” his nephew, Arne Olafsson, said, “but he was not as aggressive as Heimir.” Coaching a team bound for the World Cup has also left less time for Hallgrimsson’s original job, looking after people’s teeth in his dental practice in Heimaey (population 4,300), a 5.2-square-mile volcanic island off Iceland’s south coast. “It’s a good way to relax,” Hallgrimsson said this year during a lull in Iceland’s soccer schedule here. Despite high winds and a looming snow and ice storm, he was heading home for some delayed dental therapy (for himself). “Some coaches play golf, shoot reindeer, whatever — everybody has something,” he said. “But I really enjoy going back home to my clients.” (Grupp D: Argentina, Kroatien, Island, Nigeria)
