Croatia advances at World Cup as 0-0 draw eliminates Belgium
Morocco advances at World Cup after beating Canada 2-1
DOHA, Qatar (AP): Morocco advanced to the last 16 at the World Cup for just the second time after clinging on for a 2-1 win over Canada on Thursday.
The victory meant it finished top of Group F ahead of 2018 World Cup finalist Croatia and semifinalist Belgium. Croatia went through in second and No. 2-ranked Belgium was surprisingly eliminated after their 0-0 draw.
The Moroccans’ only other trip past the group stage came in 1986.
Hakim Ziyech scored for Morocco in the fourth minute after a bad error by Canada goalkeeper Milan Borjan left the winger to shoot the ball into an empty goal. Youssef En-Nesyri added a second in the 23rd.
It looked then like Morocco would overrun the Canadians.
But Nayef Aguerd’s own-goal just before halftime made it 2-1 and lifted Canada enough for them to put pressure on Morocco in search of an equalizing goal for most of the second half.
Canada came agonizingly close when a header from captain Atiba Hutchinson, who came on as a second-half substitute, bounced off the crossbar and onto the goal-line.
Canada, which will co-host the next World Cup in 2026 with the United States and Mexico, had already been eliminated before the Morocco game. It ultimately lost all three of its games in Qatar, matching its three defeats at its only other World Cup appearance in 1986.
The Moroccan squad players were already jumping up and down in a huddle near the dugout well before the final whistle and coach Walid Regragui was smiling broadly and gesturing with his arms for them to keep celebrating.
Morocco has swept aside doubts that appointing Regragui less than three months before the World Cup would undermine its chances of reaching the last 16.
Morocco began its Qatar campaign with a morale-boosting draw against Croatia and then beat Belgium 2-0 for arguably its best result in international soccer.
Morocco has now won as many games at this World Cup as in all of its previous appearances at the tournament combined and is on course for its best performance at the tournament. The North African country’s only major international soccer title came at the 1976 African Cup of Nations.
A bad Canadian error gifted Morocco the opening goal at Al Thumama Stadium when Steven Vitoria’s back pass put goalkeeper Borjan under pressure.
But instead of clearing downfield, Borjan inexplicably side-footed the ball gently in the direction of Ziyech, who chipped it first-time back over Borjan and into the unguarded goal.
For the second goal, Achraf Hakimi’s long ball dropped between Canada defenders Vitoria and Kamal Miller, and En-Nesyri chased it down and fired past Borjan to put Morocco in control.
Canada got one back when Sam Adekugbe’s cross deflected off the right foot of Aguerd and in via another touch off goalkeeper Yassine Bounou’s right glove.
Bounou was back in goal for Morocco after missing the Belgium win when he fell ill minutes before kickoff and had to be replaced.
Canada came within a whisker of avoiding defeat for the first time in its six World Cup matches when Hutchinson rose over the defenders around him at a corner and headed goalward.
The ball crashed into the underside of the crossbar, bounced down on the line and Alistair Johnston couldn’t force in a follow-up header.
Replays showed part of the ball had crossed the line but not all of it.
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Accused gunman at correspondents' dinner was believed to be targeting top officials, Blanche says
Washington (AP): The accused gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives travelled across the country before the event and is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.
Blanche also said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where in recent days he checked in as a guest to the hotel where one of Washington's glitziest events was being held Saturday night.
Investigators have not publicly named the suspect, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter have identified him to The Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
Law enforcement officials who have examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner. He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a chaotic scene that resulted in shots being fired, President Donald Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
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