The first round of fixtures at this year’s tournament produced some major shocks, but matchday two has evened things up, making the final group fixtures crucial.
Fortunes differed for both of our home nations, but anything can happen when England take on Wales in the last game in Group B.
Here’s what went down on the pitch in Qatar and back at our dedicated fan zone in London…
Wales v Iran
After snatching a 1-1 draw against the USA through Gareth Bale’s penalty, The Dragons fans had high hopes of going through to the knockout stages with a win against Iran.
Having just been beaten 6-2 by England, Iran needed something special to turn it around.
With chances few and far between for Wales, striker Kieffer Moore couldn’t quite deflect Conor Roberts’ cross into the net, only managing to hit it straight at Hossein Hosseini in goal.
Looking dangerous on the counter, Iran squandered a golden opportunity to go ahead when Ali Gholizadeh strayed offside as he prodded the ball home past Wayne Hennessey.
Iran could have then scored three times in the space of 15 seconds, hitting the woodwork twice and forcing Hennessey into a reflex stop from short range.
Saving his nation once again with a fine fingertip save at full stretch, Hennessey could have no complaints when shown a red card for his onrushing collision with Mehdi Taremi as the striker was through on goal.
Now down to 10 men, Wales couldn’t quite hold on in injury time. Rouzbeh Cheshmi fired in from distance in the 98th minute, before right back Ramin Rezaeian made it 2-0 with the last kick of the game.
In the mix with the rest of the Welsh crowd, boxing superstar Joe Cordina (@joecordina_91) was in full voice despite the loss. He’ll be hopeful that Wales will overcome the odds on Tuesday night.
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England v USA
While there was plenty of drama in the earlier kick-off, Friday night’s clash between the Three Lions and the USA didn’t live up to expectations.
England started the brighter side, with Harry Kane’s shot from the centre of the penalty area well blocked by Walker Zimmerman.
USA then took hold of the first half. Weston McKennie felt he should have at least hit the target from close range when he fired over from 10 yards out.
Christian Pulisic then crashed his long-range effort against the bar, beating Jordan Pickford for pace.
The last of the first half action came from the boot of Mason Mount, as his effort from outside the box was tipped round the post by Matt Turner.
The second period was even less fruitful, but England captain, Harry Kane, felt he should have done better with his header form Luke Shaw’s freekick.
Showing Their Support
Back at our JD Fan Zone, a whole host of JD regulars, familiar football faces and ticket winners got together to watch the Three Lions’ game over at TOCA Social, London.
The evening was filled with live music, food and drink, as well as putting our gang’s skills to the test in our footballing comp ‘STRIKER’. With some mega prizes to be won for the top three ‘ballers, you won’t want to miss out on bagging a ticket on Eventbrite for the England v Wales game right here. They’re FREE, so why not?!
Tickets are first come, first served. And with limited availability, they’re guaranteed to fly out, so don’t hang about!
Amongst our watchalong crew was fashion gal Micha Wright (@michemingg) reppin’ the England Away Shirt and the latest Air Max 90 Futura sneakers from Nike.
Savage Dan (@savagedan10) was keeping fresh and comfy in a matching Nike Tech Fleece Hoodie and Track Pants combo, watching on closely with his pal Poet (@poetcorneruk).
Queen of tekkers Liv Cooke (@livcookefs) was showing off her tricks in the brand-new England Home Shirt. While sneakerhead Moe (@hellacreps) kicked back in the Three Lions Home Shirt and the White and Racer Blue Nike Air Max TW trainers for a head-turning look.
JD Football x 433
That’s right! We’ve linked up with 433 once again to bring the JD Locker Room back for episode 2 and 3.
In the first ep, PK got chatting to John Stones and Nathan Ake. This time round, he’s mixing it with Brazil’s Fred and France’s William Saliba, finding out the inside scoop on international dressing rooms…
From who’s got the pre-match tunes on lock, to the worst dancer in each side, the secrets are being revealed! Tune in to the brand-new ep below.
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While in episode 3, PK put two more Premier League stars in the hot seat, hearing the latest from Manchester City and Spain centre-half Aymeric Laporte and Liverpool and Portugal midfield magician Fábio Carvalho.
The pair drop their club and country team-mates in it, letting slip who the biggest joker is and who takes the brunt of the pranks. Catch it here!
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England v Wales
Looking ahead to the big fixture between two old rivals, king of football stats Kyle Walker (@kylewalker115) has been out in Qatar chatting to the England fans ahead of the game. Not only that, he’s been putting their Three Lions knowledge to the test with some quick-fire questions. Check it out!
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In the Wales camp, Katie Owen (@katieowen) was granted exclusive access to the Welsh preparations ahead of the crucial game. Normally cheering from the stands with likes of Joe, she caught a glimpse of one of their training sessions, with Gareth Bale and co. being put through their paces.
Not stoppin’ there, she even went inside the dressing room to check out the latest looks for the side.
For loads more behind-the-scenes content from the likes of Joe, Kyle and PK, make sure you’re following @jdfootball across our socials!
Don’t forget to show your support with the latest range of Wales and England essentials right here.
