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French revolution underway
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Messi gets Argentina out of jail with an extra time scorcher
US test looms over wounded Portugal
Short passes
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French revolution underway
Salvaor, June 21 Switzerland’s highly regarded young team could not live with the pace and power of a France side who led 3-0 at half-time through goals from Olivier Giroud, Blaise Matuidi and Mathieu Valbuena. Benzema added the fourth — his third of the tournament already — and Moussa Sissoko the fifth before the Swiss restored at least a shred of credibility, Blerim Dzemaili scoring with a free-kick, and Granit Xhaka with a late volley. Still this was a France performance that made you wonder how far they might go, given the only other time France have won their opening two games at a World Cup was in 1998 when they took the tournament. This was a France team featuring the recalled Arsenal striker Giroud, a late substitute in the opening win over Honduras. He gave a dominant performance, albeit the first damage he inflicted on the Swiss defence came when he caught centre-back Steve von Bergen in the eye with a high boot that forced the bloodied defender off the field inside the opening 10 minutes and prompted the introduction of Philippe Senderos alongside Johan Djourou. This reprised Arsenal defensive pairing could never be likened to Adams and Bould – Addams family might be more accurate, given the horror show that followed. Indeed, the entire Swiss rearguard might have been better compared to a slab of Emmental given the holes France found. Giroud got their first goal after 17 minutes as he rose high to meet Yohan Cabaye’s corner and power in a header that Diego Benaglio got a hand to in vain. Things rapidly got worse for Ottmar Hitzfeld’s men as they served up France’s second goal on a plate 60 seconds later.: Valon Behrami on the halfway line played a loose ball straight to Benzema and he released Matuidi to hit a low shot beyond the unconvincing Benaglio at his near post. It was a breathless opening period that could easily have brought even more goals. Xhaka had a goal annulled for offside, then Hugo Lloris made a fine double save to thwart Admir Mehmedi and Xherdan Shaqiri.
— The Independent |
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Messi gets Argentina out of jail with an extra time scorcher
Argentina's fabled "Fab Four" strike force had appeared heading for a blank at the Mineirao stadium despite dominating possession to the frustration of their massed ranks of fans who came expecting a goalfest at the Mineirao stadium. But four-times world player of the year Messi curled the ball in during stoppage time to send them wild with only his third ever World Cup goal. "In the first half we had four or five clear chances to score. In the second half, they made life hard for us with their counter attacks. But with Messi, everything is possible," said relieved Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella. The result gives Argentina six points from two games and takes them into the knockout stage. But they will need more guile and precision against better opponents. Iran, on just one point after a draw with Nigeria, will at least take heart from a fantastic performance against one of the favorites to lift the trophy. Constantly crowded out by two and sometimes three Iranians, Messi had until the end been unable to pull the strings and again vomited on the pitch in the first half. The Argentine captain put two free kicks wide in either half, and saw a shot go wide after a trademark run early in the second. In a succession of wasted Argentine first half chances, Gonzalo Higuain was quickly shut down by goalkeeper Alireza Haghighi in a one-on-one in the 13th minute, Angel Di Maria shot over the bar and Sergio Aguero had a curling shot well saved. Marcos Rojo and Ezequiel Garay put headers off target. IRAN CLOSE TO SCORING:
With their increasingly hopeful supporters heavily outnumbered but cheering "Ole, ole, Iran!", Asia's highest-ranked team defended en masse but also enjoyed some forays forward that could have caused a sensational result. "At the end, two personalities in the game made the difference. The number one was the referee. The second was Lionel Messi," said a bitterly disappointed coach Carlos Queiroz, claiming crucial decisions went against his side. Queiroz was unhappy that a second half penalty claim was denied when Ashkan Dejagah was challenged by Pablo
Zabaleta. — Reuters
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Latin American teams take a grip
CUIABA, June 21 A mixture of enhanced coaching and the confidence gained from playing on familiar territory in their own region means they can play an attacking game that comes more naturally to them with the bonus of profiting from their better ball skills. Another major factor is the ever growing number of players from all over Latin America gaining experience in Europe’s top and secondary leagues. But the improvement of the national teams is mainly down to management policies at home. Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay are the South American names that have already been etched on the trophy. However, an all-encompassing CONMEBOL qualifying system introduced for the 1998 finals in France has allowed other nations on the continent to make progress through greater competition with the big guns. The group was made up of nine of the 10 member nations, minus World Cup hosts Brazil, with the teams all playing 16 demanding matches on a home and away league basis. Colombia and Chile finished second and third respectively behind Argentina with Ecuador fourth, leaving Uruguay once again to book a ticket to the finals in an intercontinental playoff. Venezuela had never come as close to qualifying for their first finals as last year. The new World Cup qualification system and South America’s extension of the Copa America since the 1990s to 12 teams, including two invited in from other confederations has benefited Costa Rica and
Mexico. — Agencies |
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US test looms over wounded Portugal
Manaus, June 21 The thrashing was the biggest ever loss the Portuguese have suffered at a World Cup and their misery deepened as central defender Pepe was sent off while Ronaldo struggled for form as he battled a knee injury. The world player of the year will need to be back to his best for the clash with the Americans, who surprisingly beat Ghana 2-1 in their opening game. Rumours about Ronaldo’s condition have been swirling across the internet and officials were forced to deny reports that his personal doctor had advised him to quit the tournament.
Ronaldo, who was suffering from tendinosis in his left knee several weeks before the 32-nation tournament, was photographed walking out of Wednesday’s training session early with an ice pack on his left knee. Also of concern to coach Paolo Bento is the need to find the right replacements for the suspended Pepe and injured left back Fabio Coentrao. The United States will hope to reproduce the inspired display from the 2002 World Cup when they beat Portugal 3-2 in the group stage, a win which helped them advance to the last 16 at the expense of their rivals. Coach Juergen Klinsmann, who was in charge of his native Germany when they beat Portugal 3-1 in the 2006 tournament’s third-place match, said he expected Ronaldo to fire on all cylinders.
— Reuters |
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Short passes
Rooney says sorry for England World Cup flop:
Wayne Rooney on Saturday apologised to England fans for the country's disastrous exit from the World Cup after two defeats. The 28-year-old striker said that he was “absolutely devastated” and “gutted” by the losses to Italy and Uruguay. Costa Rica beat Italy 1-0, snuffing out any remaining hope for England. “Sorry to all the fans that travelled and at home that we haven’t done better,” said Rooney, who did manage to get his first World Cup finals goal in the Uruguay game. “Going into each game we had great belief in ourselves but unfortunately it hasn’t worked out,” he added. Midfielder Jack Wilshere sent the same message to England fans. “Gutted doesn’t come close to how I am feeling right now. Sorry to all the fans who came out and supported us, and everyone back home,” the 22-year-old Arsenal player said on his Twitter account. model gets ejected for stalking Ronaldo:
Former "Miss Bumbum" Andressa Urach was kicked out for obsessively following Cristiano Ronaldo at Portugal's training session, it has been revealed. Urach took to Instagram and wrote that she just wanted to talk and wish Ronaldo good luck at Portugal's training session but she got kicked out. The 26-year-old also showed up outside the Portugal team's hotel when they first arrived in Brazil for FIFA World Cup 2014, where she had painted Ronaldo's green and red jersey onto her naked chest and was holding a sign which read, "Kisses C. Ronaldo". The TV presenter, earlier also claimed that she has slept with the 29-year-old football player. However, Ronaldo denied all her claims.
— Agencies
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BELO HORIZONTE, June 21
A few days’ rest seem to have helped and his team mate Miguel Veloso said the player appeared to be in good shape. “I’m not a doctor but from what I see, Ronaldo is fine,” Veloso said. “He is training, he is jumping and he is shooting. There is not much else to say.”
‘Disabled’ fans standing out of wheelchairs:
Dubai