By GRAHAM DUNBAR, AP Sports Writer
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The 90-minute soccer match is turning into 100-plus at the World Cup — and that is what FIFA wants to give fans more entertainment.
The four longest periods of stoppage time for a single half of soccer at any World Cup were all played Monday, according to statistics analysis site Opta Joe.
England and Iran went into the 15th minute of stoppage time in the first half Monday and the referee added 14 minutes in the second half. A head injury for Iran’s goalkeeper explained the first, but the second raised more eyebrows.
Even more surprising were the Netherlands-Senegal and the United States-Wales games each entering the 11th minute of time added at the end for the myriad types of stoppages in modern soccer. The U.S. game that started at 10 p.m. on Monday in Doha ticked over into Tuesday when the final whistle blew.
