Blog (Page 172)

[ad_1] FIFA have attempted to offer clarification as the confusion over stadium capacities at the World Cup continues to grow. Ever since Qatar kicked off the competition against Ecuador last weekend, fans and commentators have been observing vast swathes of empty seats in stadiums during the majority of World Cup matches. Many have been quick to attribute this to a lack of interest in a World Cup hosted by Qatar, a feeling which was exacerbated by fans leaving in droves at half-time in that opening fixture. To clear things up, FIFA have issued a statement claiming that attendance has been around 94% since the tournamentRead More →

[ad_1] Ecuador and Senegal will decide their destines on Tuesday in a straight fight for the second qualifying spot from Group A. The Netherlands should beat Qatar to cement top spot, leaving these two, who are separated by just one point, to compete for second. Ecuador are there at the minute and can qualify with a draw, whereas Senegal will need a win. Here’s how to follow what promises to be an entertaining affair on TV and live stream. Where can you watch Ecuador vs Senegal on TV in the UK? Where can you watch Ecuador vs Senegal on TV in the United States andRead More →

[ad_1] Australia won a World Cup game for the first time since 2010 with a hard-earned victory against Tunisia on Saturday. The Socceroos kept their hopes of reaching the last 16 alive with a dogged performance in Qatar, keeping the Eagles of Carthage at bay and picking up their first points of the tournament. A tense opening 20 minutes yielded little in way of chances, with Youssef Msakni dribbling the ball through the six yard box and out for a goal kick in the only real foray for either side early on. Mohamed Drager lashed a shot from range high and wide soon after asRead More →

[ad_1] The Premier League are not expected to alter their Owners & Directors Test to prevent any possible investment from Saudi Arabia in either Manchester United or Liverpool. With the two American-owned clubs now up for sale, investors from Saudi Arabia have been tipped to lodge offers and the country’s sports minister recently confessed he would like to see the nation get involved in at least one of United or Liverpool. Any bids would be hugely controversial if the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s takeover of Newcastle United is anything to compare to. When the PIF concluded their takeover of Newcastle in 2021, they faced aRead More →

[ad_1] It wasn’t supposed to go like this. This is Lionel Messi’s final World Cup and Argentina are already on the brink of elimination after a staggering 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia in their opening game. It wasn’t supposed to go like this. Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes. Only a tight offside call on Lautaro Martinez stopped Argentina from running away with it in the first half. And then… and then the World Cup happened, or Herve Renard’s earthquake of a half-time speech. Where does that leave Argentina now? Let’s talk our way through it, therapy-style, in the veryRead More →

[ad_1] Harry Kane was surprisingly upbeat following England’s 0-0 draw with the United States in Group B of the World Cup on Friday. The Three Lions would have booked their place in the knockout stages with a win, but were outplayed by a hungry USA side. Speaking to ITV post-match, Kane was keen to point out the importance of keeping a clean sheet in spite of England’s attacking woes and insists taking a point isn’t a bad result. “It wasn’t our best performance, for sure,” he said. “We had some good spells with the ball, good positions, just didn’t quite have the final product. GreatRead More →

[ad_1] Qatar’s elimination from the 2022 World Cup has been confirmed following the 1-1 draw between the Netherlands and Senegal elsewhere in Group A. A stalemate between the two sides was all it took to ensure that Qatar took the unfortunate record of being the earliest eliminated hosts in World Cup history after they lost their second group stage game to Senegal earlier in the day. Felix Sanchez’s side endured a difficult start to the tournament in their own country, kicking off the first day of the World Cup by receiving a humbling defeat at the hands of Ecuador. Enner Valencia’s first-half brace was enoughRead More →

[ad_1] Portugal go toe-to-toe with Uruguay on Monday evening in their second World Cup group game. Fernando Santos has one of the most talented squads in Qatar at his disposal. 11 of the 26 that made the trip to the Middle East have been bought for a fee in excess of £30m at one point in their career. However, how Santos uses those lucrative assets has been called into question in the past. Here’s the XI Santos may select from the rich – in every sense of the word – pool of quality. Cristiano Ronaldo’s eight World Cup goals have all come in the groupRead More →

[ad_1] Mexico are set to face their biggest challenge of the 2022 World Cup on Saturday, when confronting Group C rivals Argentina at the Lusail Stadium. El Tri enters the game with one point after managing a 0-0 draw against Poland that saw goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa heroically save Robert Lewandowski’s penalty to keep round of 16 hopes alive. Argentina currently boasts no points, losing 2-1 to Saudi Arabia to land in last place of the Group C standings. But before diving into the importance of the upcoming match , Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano highlighted the essence of the World Cup: playing against some of the world’sRead More →

[ad_1] The 2022 Qatar World Cup is in full swing and we have now had the opportunity to see every one of the 32 teams in the tournament in action. Some teams – looking at England (surprisingly!) and Spain here – have been delightful to watch. Some teams – including Qatar themselves – have looked absolutely dreadful. While you can’t make too many conclusions from the first set of fixtures, the situation for traditional powerhouses such as Argentina and Germany does look pretty perilous. With all that in mind, let’s get 90min’s World Cup power rankings underway, listing the 10 best teams in the competitionRead More →