Sport

Sunday, 01 July 2018 04:20

Messi and Ronaldo exit World Cup without titles

Lionel Messi stared, hands on hips, pain etched across a face once boyish and filled with limitless joy, now obscured by a brown beard and hardened by expectations for his nation unmet. Four hours later and 950 miles (1,530 kilometers) away, Cristiano Ronaldo's eyes were wide in anger as he shouted in protest just ahead of the final whistle, once again arguing with a referee. The tirade got Ronaldo a second yellow card that would have suspended him for the next match. No worries, Portugal's World Cup ended with a loss. Saturday will likely mark the end of an era…

Saturday, 30 June 2018 04:15

FIFA referees celebrate scandal-free World Cup

FIFA refereeing bosses celebrated what they described as a scandal-free World Cup for match officials on Friday, saying that the video replay system had helped achieve an accuracy rate of 99.3 percent for decisions in the group stage. "After 48 games, we haven't had a single scandal, and that's very important," FIFA's director of refereeing, Massimo Busacca, told reporters. The World Cup in Russia is the first to use Video Assistant Referees (VARs) who monitor the game on television screens and communicate with the pitch official. The VARs check decisions which could potentially change the outcome of a game and,…

Saturday, 30 June 2018 04:13

Agony and ecstasy loom as penalty shootouts come into play at World Cup

Football’s cruel mistress -- the penalty shootout -- arrives at the World Cup on Saturday after a packed fortnight of group games, ready to dispense her characteristic doses of unbridled joy and heartbreak in the knockout stages. There has been a penalty shootout at every World Cup since 1982 in Spain, and while it is still a matter of contention whether this is the best way to decide a winner, the post-match shootout is now common at all levels of the game. But the consequences of failure are nowhere more devastating than at a World Cup, where two previous finals…

Thursday, 28 June 2018 04:57

'Dark day for German football' after World Cup elimination

Everyone was waiting for Germany to score another late World Cup-saving goal. It never came. Instead, the Germans have become the fourth defending champions in the last five tournaments to be eliminated in the group stage following a 2-0 loss to South Korea on Wednesday. The four-time champions allowed a pair of injury-time goals while knowing a 1-0 victory would have been enough to advance because of the result in the other group match. "It's very, very hard to put it into words," said Germany defender Mats Hummels, a member of the team that won in Brazil four years ago.…

Thursday, 28 June 2018 04:55

Africa risks World Cup wipe-out in setback for sport's development

If Senegal fail to hold off Colombia in their last group game on Thursday and are knocked out of the World Cup in Russia, all five African representatives will have been eliminated, in the worst return for the continent since the 1982 finals in Spain.Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunisia are already eliminated, and if Senegal lose to Colombia in Samara in Group H, and Japan avoid defeat against Poland at the same time, Africa's interest in Russia will come to an abrupt end. In every tournament since the 1986 finals in Mexico, at least one African country has made it…

Wednesday, 27 June 2018 04:32

Nigeria fans heartbroken after World Cup exit

Supporters of Nigeria's soccer team described their heartbreak after watching the elimination of the national side from the World Cup on Tuesday following a late Argentina goal. The game determined who progressed from Group D to the knockout stage and dictated whether or not Argentina forward Lionel Messi - considered by some soccer fans to be the world's best player - would continue to play a role in Russia.Nigeria were minutes from progressing before Argentina defender Marcos Rojo volleyed home a Gabriel Mercado cross in the 86th minute to give the South Americans a 2-1 win and passage into the…

Tuesday, 26 June 2018 04:21

Nigeria defender wants to end Messi's World Cup dream

If Lionel Messi needed extra motivation for Argentina's crucial World Cup game against Nigeria, then an opposing player may have just given him some. Argentina will be eliminated unless it beats the African team in St. Petersburg on Tuesday, with speculation that the 31-year-old Messi could retire from the national team if his side loses. Nigeria defender Bryan Idowu is looking forward to perhaps swapping jerseys with Messi, but he especially wants to send him out of the competition. "That will be our main goal, to make it Messi's last World Cup game," Idowu said Monday at a news conference.…

Monday, 25 June 2018 04:22

Russia 2018: Fan commits suicide after Argentina loss

There are insinuations that an Argentina fan, Mr Dinu Alex, committed suicide after the humiliation of his country’s national team by Croatia at the ongoing World Cup in Russia. As reported on Goal.com, the dead body of Dinu, a Kerala youth, was found on Sunday morning. The Kottayam native had gone missing after the Argentina game which they lost 3-0 and it was presumed that he had jumped into the nearby Meenachil river to avoid facing trolls from friends after Argentina’s defeat. His family had confirmed that Dinu was a hardcore fan of the Albiceleste. “We found a body from…

Monday, 25 June 2018 04:19

Factbox - Nigeria vs. Argentina

Nigeria play Argentina in a World Cup Group D match in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday. Where: St Petersburg StadiumCapacity: 68,134 When: Tuesday June 26, 2100 local (1800 GMT/1400 ET) Referee: To be announcedKey stats: - To have any hope of progressing, Argentina must beat Nigeria and also hope Iceland do not win against Croatia, as that could send them home anyway, depending on goal difference. - Victory for Nigeria's 'Super Eagles' would guarantee them progress. A draw may also be enough even if Iceland beat Croatia, depending on goal difference. - Croatia are already through to the second round with…

Sunday, 24 June 2018 03:56

Nigeria's 'Lionel Musa' warns Argentina he is not their hero

Nigeria's Ahmed Musa became 'Lionel Musa' on social media in Argentina on Friday after his two goals against Iceland which not only put the Africans back on course for a last 16 place, but also restored the World Cup hopes of the South Americans. However, the Nigerian has warned his new-found hero status in Argentina is likely to end abruptly on Tuesday when the two countries meet in a decisive Group D game in St. Petersburg. "Whenever I play against Argentina, or whenever (Lionel) Messi is playing against me, I score. "Four years ago, in Brazil when Messi was playing…

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Saturday, 23 June 2018 04:32

Musa scores twice to give Nigeria 2-0 win over Iceland

Ahmed Musa gave Nigeria its first win at this year's World Cup, and gave Argentina a gift. Musa scored two second-half goals to help the Nigerians beat Iceland 2-0 Friday and move into second place in the group behind already-qualified Croatia. Nigeria will face Argentina in its final group match on Tuesday in St. Petersburg. If Nigeria wins, it will advance to the round of 16. But if Argentina claims all three points, it can still advance depending on the result of the other match between Croatia and Iceland. Musa, Nigeria's all-time leading World Cup scorer with four goals, has…

Saturday, 23 June 2018 04:31

Who's in and who's out at the World Cup

Who's in, who's out and possible scenarios at the World Cup: GROUP A Russia and Uruguay have clinched berths in the round of 16, and play each other Monday to determine who wins the group. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have been eliminated. GROUP B Morocco has been eliminated, leaving Portugal and Spain (four points each) and Iran (three) to compete for two spots. Spain plays Morocco on Monday, when Portugal meets Iran. GROUP C France has advanced and leads with six points. Denmark is second with four after a 1-1 draw against Australia, which has one point. Peru has been…

Friday, 22 June 2018 04:24

From the reserves to the World Cup, Nigeria keeper comes of age

Even as part of the youngest side at the World Cup in Russia, Nigerian goalkeeper Francis Uzoho stands out as a novice in international football. The gangly 19 year-old has played only seven times for his country and even fewer for his club, Deportivo La Coruna of Spain where he has mostly appeared for the B team. Yet coach Gernot Rohr has entrusted him with the gloves for the tournament, including Friday's high-pressure Group D game against Iceland in Volgograd, a match that the manager says Nigeria have to win after their opening 2-0 defeat to Croatia. "He is the…

Friday, 22 June 2018 04:23

Croatia in dreamland as Messi's Argentina suffer nightmare

Croatia were in dreamland on Thursday after advancing to the knockout phase of the World Cup for the first time in 20 years with a 3-0 rout of Argentina that left a subdued Lionel Messi and his team mates facing yet another flop. The emphatic Group D victory at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Thursday ensured Croatia became the fourth country to reach the second round of the tournament and condemned twice champions Argentina to an anxious next five days as they await their fate. Croatia are top of the group with six points while Argentina have just one point…

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