Pulisic injured; should return Saturday

United States soccer star Christian Pulisic was taken to a hospital in Qatar after suffering an abdominal issue while scoring a crucial goal against Iran Tuesday, but wrote that he’ll be ready for Saturday’s Round of 16 matchup with the Netherlands in a Snapchat post.

Pulisic broke the deadlock in a must-win game in the 38th minute but paid the price, taking a knee from Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand while finishing a headed cross from Sergiño Dest.

Pulisic was down in the Iran goal for multiple minutes before he was helped off the field. He tried to run off his injury but couldn’t continue and was substituted for Brenden Aaronson at halftime.

The Chelsea winger was taken to the hospital for evaluation, raising concerns because he is the linchpin of an American attack that has struggled to score in this tournament. But he alleviated some of those worries with his social media post.

“So [expletive] proud of my guys,” Pulisic wrote, looking in high spirits. “I’ll be ready for Saturday don’t worry.”

The US reached the Round of 16 for the first time since 2014 and will take on the Netherlands, the Group A winner, at 10 a.m. Saturday.

England tops Wales, Group B

Marcus Rashford scored twice and Phil Foden added the other as England changed up its attack and beat Wales, 3-0, to advance to the Round of 16 at the top of Group B.

“Moments like this, this is what I play football for. The biggest moments, the best moments,” said Rashford, who came off the bench in the first two matches in Qatar. “I’m happy we are going through to the next round of the tournament because I have massive ambitions for this team and I think we can play even better than we did today.”

England will next face Senegal in the Round of 16 on Sunday.

Both Rashford and Foden had come on as substitutes in the opening win over Iran, and Rashford did so again in the match against the United States, which ended in a 0-0 draw.

“We were a little bit disappointed after the USA result,” said Rashford, who also scored in the 6-2 win over Iran. “I thought we could’ve played a lot better and it was important to have a good performance the next game.”

England had the game wrapped up just after halftime with Rashford scoring from a free kick in the 50th minute and Foden adding another in the 51st. Rashford got his second after a weaving run in the box in the 68th.

Wales captain Gareth Bale was forced off at halftime with an injury.

Koulibaly fires Senegal into knockout

Kalidou Koulibaly literally drew inspiration on his captain’s armband, writing the No. 19 on it in memory of one of Senegal’s most loved players.

Then Koulibaly became one himself.

The Senegal captain scored the winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Ecuador, putting his team into the Round of 16 despite the absence of the injured Sadio Mane, the team’s best player and one of the best strikers in the world.

The No. 19 was to honor Papa Bouba Diop, the Senegal midfielder who scored the winning goal against defending champion France in the opening game of the 2002 World Cup. It was one of Senegal’s greatest soccer moments and a victory that started that team’s run to the quarterfinals — still Senegal’s best performance.

“We wanted to make him proud. We wanted to give homage to him,” Koulibaly said of Diop, who died at the age of 42 exactly two years ago Tuesday. “He was the one who made me dream when I was a boy. This was something we weren’t going to let slip.

“Thank God I was there to send that ball into the back of the net.”

Only a win against Ecuador would have taken Senegal through to the next round from Group A, and Koulibaly scored the goal that made it happen at Khalifa International Stadium.

A free kick from Idrissa Gueye bounced off an opponent and came his way. Koulibaly threw out his right foot and hit it past Ecuador goalkeeper Hernan Galindez in the 70th minute. Koulibaly then sprinted toward the corner flag and slid on his knees to celebrate.

The African champions took the lead after a first-half penalty from Ismaila Sarr. But Moises Caicedo evened the score when he was left unmarked after a corner kick in the 67 th minute.

Senegal will face Group B winner England in the Round of 16.

Netherlands beats Qatar, tops group

The Netherlands still has a long way to go to match the “total football” teams of the 1970s, or even the more offensive “Oranje” squads that reached the World Cup final in 2010 and finished third in 2014.

Still, a 2-0 win over Qatar ensured the Dutch advanced to the Round of 16 by finishing first in Group A while the Qataris, who were already eliminated, became the first host to lose all three of its group matches at the World Cup.

“If you play against Qatar everybody will think and expect that you’ll win, 5-0, or more, but this tournament has shown that it’s very difficult,” Netherlands midfielder Davy Klaassen, who earned player of the match honors, said through an interpreter.

“We’re very critical of ourselves and we need to improve,” Klaassen added. “But we have progressed and we’re going to move on.”