Blog (Page 148)

[ad_1] The World Cup is drawing to a close, and players from all over the world have just announced themselves on the biggest stage in football. It’s been a great year for midfielders, with the men in the centre of the park deciding entire matches for their teams with some stellar performances. But who were the best midfielders at this World Cup? Let’s dive in for a closer look. A big tournament for the Brighton man / Clive Brunskill/GettyImages It’s easy to get forgotten when you’re playing in the same side as Lionel Messi. Mind you, it’s a little easier to stand out when you’reRead More →

[ad_1] Kylian Mbappe has vowed to take France back to the World Cup final after coming up short against Argentina on Sunday. Despite becoming just the second player ever to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, Mbappe and France fell to Argentina in a penalty shoot-out, ending their dreams of retaining the crown they won in 2018. Mbappe, who went on to receive the tournament’s Golden Boot, has since posted a short message to fans on Instagram. “We’ll be back,” Mbappe wrote to his followers. The Paris Saint-Germain forward has climbed into sixth on the all-time scoring charts for the World Cup, tiedRead More →

[ad_1] Chelsea have lodged a bid to buy a plot of land next to Stamford Bridge to aid their plans to redevelop the stadium. The Blues have faced issues with expanding their stadium in the past, given its location in London. Surrounded by buildings and railway lines, Chelsea are operating in limited space and butted heads with the council during Roman Abramovich’s ownership as a result. New co-owner Todd Boehly is committed to redeveloping Stamford Bridge as well and the Daily Mail note that the Blues have lodged a £50m bid to buy an available plot of land directly next to the stadium. The 1.2Read More →

[ad_1] France manager Didier Deschamps has confessed that his side were feeling the ‘physical and psychological’ impact of the virus that ripped through their squad in Sunday’s World Cup final defeat. Les Bleus lost a number of key players, including the likes of Dayot Upamecano and Adrien Rabiot, to illness in the build-up to the game, with Deschamps taking emergency measures to try and prevent a full-blown outbreak before the match. Nevertheless, France looked leggy for large parts of the final, with Raphael Varane forced off late on after appearing to fall to the ground in sheer exhaustion, and Deschamps admitted the virus will haveRead More →

[ad_1] Emi Martinez believes it was Argentina’s ‘destiny’ to win the 2022 World Cup following their 4-2 penalties victory over France. The Aston Villa goalkeeper was instrumental and put in another incredible display to help fire his nation to a first World Cup win in 36 years, coming up with a number of big saves, saving a penalty in the shootout and putting off Aurelien Tchouameni who missed his spot kick. He now adds a World Cup and the tournament’s Golden Glove award to his suddenly impressive trophy cabinet that also contains the Copa America. Speaking to reporters after the game, Martinez delivered his verdict:Read More →

[ad_1] Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni says he is proud of how his team persevered in their World Cup final win over France. La Albiceleste held a 2-0 lead over the 2018 champions but were forced to extra time thanks to a Kylian Mbappe brace. And just as Lionel Messi made it 3-2 after 108 minutes, Mbappe responded again at the death to take the game to penalties. But Argentina finally prevailed, seeing off their opponents in a 4-2 shootout victory to claim their third World Cup and their first in 36 long years. Speaking to reporters after the historic win, a tearful Scaloni wasRead More →

[ad_1] US men’s national team defender Tim Ream shut down rumors of Gio Reyna’s fallout with the American side during the World Cup, explaining: “For us, it’s a non-story.” Following the team’s elimination from the international tournament, head coach Gregg Berhalter revealed Giovanni Reyna was nearly sent home due to a lack of effort in training and pre-tournament friendlies. He explained the Borussia Dortmund player’s tumultuous behavior as ‘clearly not meeting expectations on and off the field’, forcing the staff to come together and deliberate for hours on his future with the team.  Consequently, Gio Reyna didn’t start any of the USMNT’s four matches inRead More →

[ad_1] Emi Martinez picked up the World Cup Golden Glove award as Argentina lifted the World Cup by defeating France in an all-time final. The Aston Villa goalkeeper was instrumental between the sticks for La Albiceletse throughout the tournament and becomes the first South American to win the award as a result. Despite being beaten by a Kylian Mbappe hat-trick in the 120 minutes of football in the final, Martinez came up with a number of saves and proved his worth in the penalty shootout, saving Kingsley Coman’s effort and psyching out Aurelien Tchouameni who went on to fire his spot kick wide of theRead More →

[ad_1] Angers have accepted they will have to sell midfielder Azzedine Ounahi during the January transfer window, according to club president Said Chabane. The 22-year-old midfielder has enjoyed a breakout World Cup with his native Morocco, earning acclaim for his performances in midfield as the Atlas Lions defied expectations to reach the semi-finals of the competition. Premier League clubs including West Ham and Leicester City have been linked with Ounahi in the past 12 months, but they could be set to be blown out of the water as the midfielder’s performances have attracted interest from European giants such as Barcelona and Juventus. Speaking to RTLRead More →

[ad_1] Argentina have overcome the odds to reach the World Cup final. After losing 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in their opening fixture, the odds were stacked against La Albiceleste if they were to reach the latter stages of the competition. Speculation was rife over whether head coach Lionel Scaloni was out of his depth, and whether Argentina were wrong to still be relying on 35-year-old Lionel Messi. Argentina defied expectations to get where they are today. Now, though, they must tackle their biggest challenge of all: overcoming the legedary Drake curse. Drake might be one of the biggest stars in the music industry, but theRead More →