On a day of defence against attack, Argentina held Japan 0-0 in Paris in Group D while Canada edged Cameroon 1-0 in Montpellier. “We had to be realistic and focus on defending and hitting on the counter-attack,” said Alain Djeumfa, the coach of Cameroon, which won two of their three group games at the last World Cup. When the whistle blew at Paris Saint-Germain’s Parc des Princes stadium Argentina’s substitutes jumped off the bench to join the players on the pitch at finally getting a World Cup point at the seventh attempt. “We have to play really intelligent, compact football and become a really compact team and I think that we can progress. It is an intimidating assignment for the Thais, a team with just one World Cup appearance and just one victory, over Ivory Coast in 2015.

Source: The Express Tribune June 11, 2019 10:52 UTC