The former captain could be criticised for being harsh on a class-act, who only a few months previou. Nadal played tighter to finally take the first break of the match and move 3-2 up when his opponent sent a forehand wide. A transfer didn’t happen for Mahrez and, with the winger unable to get to Zambia in time, Saturday’s qualifier didn’t go to plan for Algeria. “I played a very clean match,” Federer told the crowd. ’Two early breaks in the third and Thiem made sure he would be able to celebrate his 24th birthday on Sunday with a win to extend his domination over the Frenchman to 6-0. “It was a tough situation for a set and I had some break points against me early in the second. Wilmots was brought in as coach after Ivory Coast, the defending champion, crashed out of the African Cup of Nations in Gabon in the first round at the beginning of the year. e he found his rhythm, the contest was virtually over under a closed roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium. First, Alexander Ring netted a free kick nine minutes into the game, and then the Finnish defense held firm to frustrate Iceland. Macedonia beat Israel 1-0 in Haifa to damage the hosts’ chances of a playoff spot.