Football Blog (Page 158)

[ad_1] Wow. Wow. Wow. They’ve done it. The Atlas Lions keep marching on – Morocco are the first African team in history to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup, beating Portugal 1-0. A lot of the focus heading into Saturday’s quarter-final was on their opponents, and in particular whether Cristiano Ronaldo would be recalled to the starting lineup. He was not. Me when I wake up to the news that Ronaldo’s on the bench again for this quarterfinal pic.twitter.com/ASdAFQKS2U — Jesse Hawken (@jessehawken) December 10, 2022 Cristiano Ronaldo in the changing room to Fernando Santos knowing that the game is all set up forRead More →

[ad_1] Casemiro has lamented Brazil’s World Cup quarter-final exit against Croatia, claiming the victory was ‘in our hands’ before conceding a late extra-time equaliser. It looked like Brazil would be heading to the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2014 after Neymar scored in extra-time before Bruno Petkovic equalised in the dying moments to take the match to penalties. Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic then made two crucial saves in the resulting shootout to break Brazilian hearts and send his country to their second successive semi-final. Speaking in the immediate aftermath of the surprise defeat, Casemiro said: “All defeats are painful, especially when youRead More →

[ad_1] Phil Foden has revealed that he copied a training technique he saw Lionel Messi undertaking in order to improve his own game. Foden has gained a reputation as one of English football’s most technically gifted players and has played a major role in Manchester City’s most recent Premier League title wins. He was touted for greatness at a young age, and speaking to the media ahead of England’s World Cup quarter-final with France, Foden opened up on how an experience watching Messi train a two-touch drill up close was crucial to his development. “I remember back in the academy and City played Barcelona [inRead More →

[ad_1] The scout who took a 12-year-old Kylian Mbappe for a trial with Chelsea has revealed how the Blues missed out on a deal to sign the future superstar. Then an unknown youngster at Bondy, Mbappe spent four days in London in May 2011 on a well-known trial with Chelsea, where he posed for a photo with Didier Drogba and played in a game against Charlton. Obviously, nothing came of the trial and Mbappe returned to Bondy, before moves to Monaco and PSG helped him blossom into one of the best players on the planet. It could have all worked out so differently, however, hadRead More →

[ad_1] Manuel Neuer has confirmed that he will not play again in the 2022/23 season after breaking his leg during a post-World Cup holiday. The Bayern Munich goalkeeper started all three group stage games for Germany but failed to keep a clean sheet as Die Mannschaft were surprisingly dumped out at the first hurdle. Following the elimination, Neuer was granted some time off and he went on a skiing holiday, where he unfortunately broke his leg, and he has now confirmed that his season is over as a result. “What can I say, the end of the year could have definitely gone better,” he wroteRead More →

[ad_1] Lionel Messi has admitted that he felt disrespected by Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal in the build-up to Argentina’s World Cup quarter-final victory. The match turned into a hot-tempered affair, with numerous on-field brawls throughout the 120 minutes and even after the penalty shoot-out, with referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz dishing out yellow cards left, right and centre. After winning the shoot-out, a number of Argentina players openly celebrated in front of the Dutch squad, while Messi himself even directed a taunt towards Van Gaal who, in the build-up to the game, accused the Paris Saint-Germain forward of failing to help his team when theyRead More →

[ad_1] Renowned journalist Grant Wahl has passed away in Qatar while covering the 2022 World Cup. Wahl was one of the most prominent and recognisable media members in the history of US soccer. He was at the Lusail Iconic Stadium covering the quarter-final between Argentina and the Netherlands on Friday when he is said to have collapsed in the press box. But after being transported by emergency services, he was later pronounced dead. The World Cup organising committee said in a statement: “He received immediate emergency medical treatment on site, which continued as he was transferred by ambulance to Hamad General Hospital. We are inRead More →

[ad_1] Lionel Messi still has a chance of bowing out of what will be his final World Cup with the trophy in his hands after Argentina knocked out the Netherlands in a pulsating quarter-final tie. La Albiceleste had the game wrapped up with under 20 minutes of the initial 90 left to play when Messi, who had produced one of the best passes you’re ever likely to see to assist the opening goal for Nahuel Molina, converted from the penalty spot. It needn’t have been as difficult as it turned out to be after Argentina let it slip in the closing stages of the game,Read More →

[ad_1] Argentina edged past the Netherlands to reach the World Cup semi-finals and keep Lionel Messi’s hopes of a crowning glory alive, but only after throwing away a 2-0 lead and winning a penalty shootout. Messi got the ball rolling in the shootout, while Emiliano Martinez saved the first two Dutch penalties. Enzo Fernandez missed the chance to win it with his effort but that opportunity came back around for Lautaro Martinez to send La Albiceleste through. Messi and Nahuel Molina had given Argentina their lead in normal time, only to see a remarkable late Netherlands comeback spearheaded by Wout Weghorst off the bench. AlthoughRead More →

[ad_1] As the 2023 Major League Soccer season fast approaches, several teams are looking to sign a Designated Player. Per league rules, a team can only hold three DPs at a time. The Designated Player Rule allows clubs to acquire up to three players whose total compensation and acquisition costs exceed the Maximum Salary Budget Charge, with the club bearing financial responsibility for the amount of compensation above each player’s Salary Budget Charge. Designated Players may be new players signed to MLS via the Allocation Ranking List or the Discovery Process, or they may be re-signed existing players on a club’s roster. Here are theRead More →