FIFA World Cup Finals : Argentina vs France

 In an electrifying encounter, that had all the elements of football, Argentina lifted the World Cup Football for the 3rd time ever, defeating the defending champions France in a humdinger that blazed from one end to the other, as fortunes swayed either side at will, through full time to extra time to the penalties. Billed up as a fierce contest between the two PSG team mates for the ultimate supremacy, Messi vs Mbappe enthralled alike, being the center of all attention, & walk away with all laurels & attention at the end. The young pacy winger, despite scoring a hattrick ended in the losing side gazing blankly in disbelief at the results, while the other aging maestro, in his last hurrah won the hearts to lay hands on the coveted Golden Ball & the World Cup glory - a fairy tale ending to a dream that started in 2006, when he debuted & scored against Serbia, establishing him as arguably the GOAT in Football. 

The game started in whirlwind fashion, as both France & Argentina went on the offensive from the word go, looking at wresting early initiatives. However, it was the more intent South Americans who quickly controlled the midfield under the able leadership of Messi working from a bit deep to orchestrate the attacks, as a fit again Di Maria & Alvarez stormed the French defense, ably assisted by De Paul, Fernandez & MacAllister. On the contrary, France looked tentative, as Greizmann failed to control the movements as he had done so effectively in the earlier games, & the flanks of Mbappe & Dembele could hardly stamp their authority, as Giroud down the middle found tough Argentinian backline denying him of any space. The first real chance came around the 17th minute, when De Paul, Hernandez & Messi played a beautiful one two one to enter the box, but Di Maria blazed the ball over the bar in a hurried attempt. The pressure building up, Argentina swarmed the French box & Di Maria smartly dribbled into the box from the left end & had Dembele clumsily tackle to bring him down from behind, as the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the dreaded spot. Stepping in Messi false stepped French Captain & keeper Hugo Lloris on the wrong side & calmly slotted the ball into the left end of the net, as the rapturous crowd went delirious in celebrations & Argentina went up 1-0. With twelve goals & eight assists, Messi's 20 goal involvement had become the most by a player in World Cup since 1966, as he also became the first player to score in group stage, round of 16, quarter finals, semi finals & now finals in a single edition of the World Cup - incredible stats from an incredible player. As a stunned France looked to counter back, Argentina backline kept defending strongly, while Messi kept feeding the frontline for more damage. In another such blistering counter attacking move, Messi simply side flicked the ball pas his marker to an onrushing Mac Allister, who sped through into the box & unselfishly squared the ball to Di Maria coming in from the left wing, & the winger's first time left footer flew past the flailing arms of Lloris to nestle into the far right corner of the net & Argentina were up 2-0 in the 36th minute. A brilliant move for a brilliant finish, as the crowd full of sky blue & white stripes went berserk in celebrations. The defending champions were brought to their knees, & their star studded line up were gasping for breath & ideas, as their opposition seemed to be running away with the game in style. The midfield & overlapping backs looked dazed & the forward line clueless to build any sensible attack. In a attempt to infuse some electricity & activity, Coach Deschamps, replaced the normally dependable & experienced Giroud & Dembele for Marcus Thuram & Randal Kolo Muani. The first half ended with Argentina leading 2-0, as Coach Scaloni went into the dug out looking content with the performance of his players, & his strategy of pressing football to create panic & get a penalty to lead early & then use the confusion to build upon with some surging attacks. This has worked perfectly for the Albiceleste through this tournament, as Messi & company have terrorised their opponents, barring their first game blip against Saudi Arabia, where they lost despite going up 1-0, via a Messi penalty !!

2nd half started with Argentina picking up from where they had left in the first half, pressing for territorial advantage & not allowing the French forwards to have any sniff at their goal. It was incredible to see that the famed French forward line, having the electrifying Mbappe struggle for space & ball, as Otamendi, Romero, Molina & Tagliafico continued to defend astutely. Around the hour mark, a tiring Di Maria was rested bringing in a beefy Acuna, while a few minutes later France also made two crucial changes by bringing in Camavinga for Hernandez & Kingsley Coman for Griezmann to add speed, spark & fresh legs into their despairing attack line. This led to some better football from the Les Blues, as Mbappe started to get more traction to run through his wing as the now tiring Argentinian defense started to show up some chinks. France eventually got their first shot on target, when Mbappe's effort was saved by Martinez. Messi, strolling across the park, kept the occasional bursts into the French backline & in one of the moves De Paul had a chance, but his low shot was parried away by Lloris - in the counter move that ensued, Kolo Muani sped through & went into the box where Otamendi, in an attempt to block the goal view, got on the wrong side & dragged the French winger down with his thigh, as the referee pointed to the spot. Mbappe stepped in & blasted the ball into the net past a diving Martinez to reduce the margin to 1-2, as the French contingent roared back, & French President Emmanuel Macron in the stands was seen pumping his fists to raise sagging spirits of the French supporters. Before the now tiring & stunned Argentinians could react or regroup, hardworking Coman snatched the ball from the feet of  Messi in the midfield nudging the maestro down, & ran it to the left side onto onrushing Mbappe, who nodded to the ball to Thuram & then received it back on the face of the box to send in a ferocious volley into the net past Martinez who could barely touch the ball with his outstretched fingers entering the net for a superb equaliser 2-2. With barely 10 minutes to the final whistle & looking haplessly out of the game, the defending champions had roared back into the contest within a space of less than 2 minutes of electrifying football, as Coach Deschamps screamed on the bench clutching his fists in delight. Game on - as the world suddenly bit their nails in anticipation of an edge of the seat humdinger. The match had truly opened up now, as both teams looked for the ascendency, & chances started to show up galore at both ends. With 8 minutes of added time signaled, Mabappe was denied by Otamendi once & then by Romero, while on the other end, Messi was denied by Lloris, as Alvarez & Rabiot rose high to clash hard on a header. Coman then ran down the flank & passed on to Camavinga, as Otamendi brought him down just outside the box & Raboit's shot was saved by Martinez & a shaky Argentinian defence, & then Messi had a rasping shot at the French goal saved by a flying Lloris, as the referee blew the full time whistle to the relief of the near exhausted players on the ground. Both the keepers at their respective ends ensured safe coverage to keep the game alive into the extra time. 

The first half of the extra time saw Argentina wrestling the initiatives, but no goals were scored, though Messi, Montiel, Mac Allister combination muffled a golden opportunity with the French defense at mercy, as the players once again regrouped for water & fiery consultations by the coaching staff. The game was entering the last stages. Substitute Lautaro Martinez muffled two great opportunities for Argentina, as France started to regain control. However, it was Argentina again that went into lead, as in a mad scramble inside the French box, Lautaro Martinez's shot was parried by Lloris just for Messi to tap in, as Upamecano cleared from inside the net - a quick VAR review confirmed the goal as Messi was swarmed by the bench in celebrations, seemingly the winning goal of the match. Argentina led again 3-2, bringing back memories of their last World Cup victory over Germany 3-2, in 1986, when a certain Maradona had won the hearts of the footballing world with his skills & guile. With minutes ticking away, Lautaro had another chance muffled, as on the other end, from a Coman corner, Mbappe took a rousing shot at the Argentinian goal from just outside the box, & Montiel in an attempt to block had his arm touch the ball & the referee pointed to the spot for the third time in the match - incredible for a finals!! Though it was not intentional, but by the rule book, it was a penalty, that the referee had to point at. Mbappe stepped in & scored again, marking his hattrick in a World Cup Final, as the score line read 3-3, & only 3 minutes to the final whistle. In a epic comeback of sorts, Mbappe had brought the French back into reckoning. Banking on this life line France went out on all attack, & should have won the game in the injury time, when Otamendi failed to connect & block a cross & the tall, lanky French winger Muani had only the keeper to beat, but his rasping shot was somehow smothered away by the outstretched legs of Martinez, as Argentinians heaved a sigh of relief. On the opposite side Lautaro muffled yet another chance as Montiel's cross found Lautaro head out, & the Mbappe dribbled & wriggled his way through inside the Argentinian box, but somehow lost control, & a defender blasted the ball away, as the referee blew the extra time whistle to an end. The match was now entering the penalties to decide the winner. One of the best contested game till now at blistering pace, as the score sheet read 3-3, after extra time. 

While Argentina had knocked Netherlands through a penalty shoot out in the quarterfinals, where Martinez had come up with two huge saves, France were facing the penalties for the first time in the tournament. France won the toss & decided to shoot first. Mbappe stepped in & coolly slotted the ball past Martinez 1-0. Messi came up next & his brilliant placement made it 1-1. Coman stepped in next for France, but his low hard drive to the left was blocked by a diving Martinez, as the score remained 1-1. Dybala, brought in during the extra time, hit straight through the middle to score & get Argentina advantage 2-1. Tchouameni, next in for France looked nervous, licking his lips, & his shot went wide of the left post, as the score remained at 2-1 to Argentina. France had muffled two consecutive shots at this stage. Parades, came in & his shot went into the left bottom, as Argentina went up 3-1. Kolo Muani stepped in for a must win shot, & he kept the French hopes alive by slotting home in the top end, 2-3. Montiel, next in, took time to soak in the pressure, & his shot slotted into the left corner of the net, as Lloris dived the wrong way & Argentina team burst open into the field in rapturous celebrations, as the score read 4-2. 

It had taken all the ninety minutes plus injury time in each half & then the extra time along with respective added time & then the penalties - an epic battle of nerves, strategies, will & grit & skills, between two towering nations of Football, as Argentina, arguably the better team for the major part of the day, finally conquered. This was the 11th World Cup finals between a South American & an European nation, with the South Americans winning for the 8th time. Argentina had earlier lost to Germany in 1990 & 2014, while Brazil had lost to France in 1998. This was Argentina's sixth World Cup final, with only Germany ahead of them with eight appearances in the finals. Leo Messi had conquered his final peak, a trophy that had eluded his overflowing cabinet till now  & a fitting tribute to Maradona, who would surely be smiling in heaven, amidst flowing tears of joy. There were other heroes too with valuable contributions from Di Maria, who created the 1st penalty for Messi to score & then scored the second goal of the match, De Paul, who endured all the pain & fouls on him, but maintained composure in the midfield, Alvarez who kept the French defense in agony till he was on the field, & then the burly Martinez under the bar, who saved time & again, especially when it mattered the most, thwarting the menacing French attacks. 

Mbappe with 3 goals in the finals, eventually ended with 8 goals to his credit winning the Golden Boot, pipping ahead of Messi who ended with seven to his credit. At less than 24yrs of age, Mbappe is the youngest player to go past 10 goals in World Cup & also the first player after England's Geoff Hurst to score a hattrick in a World cup Final - & yet to endear a World Cup final loss !!! Among the other notable winners, the burly big Argentinian keeper Emiliano Martinez won the Golden Gloves for his crucial saves through the tournament, pipping ahead of Livakovic of Croatia, who was also fantastic under the bar, especially against Brazil in the quarterfinals, while Enzo Fernandez won the Young Player of the Tournament. Leo Messi, won the Golden Ball award as the best player of the tournament for the second time, having earlier won it in 2014. This World Cup will certainly be deemed a Messi's World Cup, resonating their previous win in 1986, when the World had acknowledged Diego Maradona as the God of Football....... dreams that continue to inspire against all odds. 

 

FIFA World Cup Semi Finals : France vs Morocco

 Defending Champions overcame an exceptionally fighting & spirited Moroccan side 2-0 to enter their fourth World Cup final to set up a mouth watering contest with Argentina. 

The game started in whirlwind fashion, as France got themselves an early & vital lead within 5 minutes. Varane got the ball to Griezmann who cut through the right to offload onto an overlapping Mbappe, who in turn hit hard only to be thwarted twice on rebound, when the ball fell favourably on the feet of Hernandez, & he held composure to slot the ball home with a fine finish, 1-0. Stung by the reverse, Morocco responded with intent & zeal, as Ounahi almost drew level with a stinging shot, but Lloris under the bar was agile enough to push the ball away from entering the net. Later again, in a strange refereeing decision, a rather clear penalty was denied, when Hernandez tipped Boufal inside the box,  & it was the Moroccan who received a yellow card booking !! The game was lively, as both sides unleashed their best attacking football & the ball galloped from one end to the other. El YAmiq almost equalised just before the half time, as he latched on to a loose ball from a corner & his overhead kick hit the post before rolling out as the Les Blues heaved a sigh of relief. Another couple of skirmishes in the French box & evasive actions by the defenders & the keeper saw France maintaining the lead at the lemon break. Moroccans were in the game, despite having huge injury issues to lose skipper Roma Saiss within 222odd minutes into the game, & the dependable Aguerd just before the beginning of the game. 

2nd half was no different, as the Moroccans looked for some chink in the French armory, while the men in blue continued to press forward, as Greizmann orchestrated the midfield. Around the 78th minute, substitute Randal Kolo Muani scored with his first touch, when he received a rebound from the efforts of Mbappe & pushed the ball past a hapless Bonou under the bar to make it 2-0 & put the game beyond the reach of the Africans. 

It was a game of too many ifs for the Moroccans in their first entry into the last four, & they will surely take away a lot of positives from this tournament. Walid Regragui tried valiantly to string an injury riddled side to put up a fantastic performance, & the baffling decision against them in a penalty claim in the first half will certainly have critics speaking a lot, as a equaliser at that stage would have set the cat amongst the pigeons - arguably at least !! A couple of near misses contributed to their undoing, as was the case of France benefitting in both their goals from huge deflections landing the ball perfectly in the path of an unmarked blue jersey to score - Champions Luck is it ??? 

We now are looking forward to a mouth watering humdinger between holders France & challenging Argentina. While France will aspire to become the first team after Brazil in the history of this World Cup to lift the Trophy consecutively, Argentina would look at a last hurrah from a certain Leo Messi, whose cabinet of overflowing trophies is missing the elusive World Cup - Les Blues vs Albiceleste. Dreams are made of such encounters  

FIFA World Cup Semi Finals : Argentina vs Croatia

 The first of the semi finals saw Argentina, virtually tear apart Croatia with some vintage football on display to march onto the finals with a commanding scoreline of 3-0. 

The headline build up to the game was the presence of two maestros Luka Modric for Croatia & Leo Messi for Argentina, both captains & leading their respective teams into this semifinals with promise & a never give up attitude, that belied their age, & infused adrenalin into the team mates. The game did start with the Croatians enjoying the better of the exchanges & possession, but, as expected, they let the initiative being taken away as the game progressed, by the more superior team on the field today - Argentina. Following a tightly contested first half hour, where Croatia enjoyed territorial control & more than 60% possession looking for an early lead, but a brilliant counter attack move from almost the Argentinian box goal kick, led young Alvarez to race into the Croatian box with only the goalkeeper Livakovic to beat, who in his attempt to save, clattered into the forward to receive a yellow card & a penalty kick. Leo Messi, as expected stepped in & slotted the ball past the penalty saving specialist into the top right corner to open the scoring 1-0. Tis was in the 34th minute of the game, as the Albiceleste supporters roared in delight.  Stung by this unexpected reverse, Croatia stepped up their game in search of an equaliser, & again paid the price by opening up their backline, as Alvaraz once again took advantage of a super release for Messi around the half line, went zooming past a bunch of rather dazed defenders & their poor clearances, to poke the ball past the hapless keeper to make it 2-0 in the 39th minute. The two quickfire strikes changed the game completely, as suddenly Croatia were clutching thin air & struggling for possession, with Messi & co taking complete control of the game. By half time, the game looked done & dusted.

2nd half story did not change much, as Argentina gradually seized control of the midfield, as Croatia made a couple of strong attempts at the Argentinian box. However, just after the hour mark in the game, Messi was at it again, mesmerising the Croatians, with a fine run though the right, weaving his way through a maze of Croatians before slotting the ball into the path of Alvarez, who coolly put the ball into the net, 3-0. With the game firmly under control now, Scaloni wisely strengthened his backline by bringing in Lisandro Martinez in place of Parades, an obvious move to have 5 players managing the core defense. 

In the end it was a rather comfortable win for the Argentina, giving a feel that the Croatians, had run beyond the distance against Brazil in the quarters, & had very little in the tank to take on the mighty Messi & co. Messi now has 5 goals to his credit plus two assists getting into the race for the Golden Boot, as he guides his side to the finals. With young Alvarez firing all cylinders, & Fernandes, De Paul, Mac Allister prying close on the heels, this side is gradually peaking & in the right time for the finals.

FIFA World Cup Quarterfinals : England vs France

 In an absolute cracker of a game, France finally prevailed over a much better organised England to win the last of the quarterfinals 2-1 & proceed to the last four of this World Cup. On paper & on field, England were arguably a better side & were more threatening in exchanges for the better part of the game, but they failed to cash on key moments, allowing France to nose ahead & finally win the tie. The reigning Champions reached the semis back to back now, looking good & growing in stature for the business end of the tournament. 

Aurelien Tchouameni's first half strike in the 17th minute saw the Les Blues take the lead over the Three Lions. From a well organised move in the English half, Mbappe carried the ball to Dembele, who in turn passed to Greizmann who deftly squared it for Tchouamenito receive & blast a 25 yarder into the right corner of the English net, past a stunned pack of defenders & a flailing Pickford under the bar. France were on top 1-0. However, England were unfazed & came roaring back, & the reigning champions were certainly the second best for the middle part of the game. HarryKane tested Lloris under the bar with a stinging shot, but the French keeper managed to fist it out.  Mbappe, Greizmann, Dembele, Giroud, none got a chance to control, as English duo Bellingham & Declan Rice bossed the midfield with Henderson, Saka, Kane & Foden looking to breach the French defense, as the referee blew the half time whistle. 

In the 2nd half, the Three Lions roared back into the game, having France on the ropes, as Foden & Bellingham caused havoc across the flanks & Harry Kane went deep to initiate attacks. A Bellingham pile driver from a Foden corner was again tipped over the bar by Lloris, as the French camp heaved a sigh of relief. The break came around the 54th minute, when Saka played one to one with Bellingham down the right & cut into the French box, where Tchouameni clipped him & the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Stepping up Kane, wrong footed his Tottenham colleague keeper to hammer the ball into the right corner, to level the score at 1-1, as English supporters came roaring back. It was Kane's 53rd goal for England making him the joint top scorer with Wayne Rooney. This was also his fourth World Cup goal from penalty kicks in regulation time, a record of sorts, as Southgate's fisted cry of relief  from the line aptly described the English sentiments. With game now a see saw battle of wits, skills & nerves, both teams pressed for a lead. Rabiot had a sniff with a rousing drive, but Pickford was alert enough to thwart any danger. Another great run by Mbappe down the flank & a sweet cross saw Dembele head into the box & Giroud volleyed hard from the middle, but Pickford made a brilliant save stretching full & fisting the ball out for a corner. However, this ensured Greizmann's corner pushed back & Kounde smartly passed the ball to Herenandez who rolled it to Greizmann again & his cross into the box is met by Giroud who outreached Mcguire to head into the left corner of the net, as the English defense & Pickford clutched in thin air. France had restored their lead back to 2-1. This was Giroud's fourth goal of the tournament, the man of the moment for France, with a brilliant finish. Southgate, in an attempt to increase his attacking options, brought in Sterling & Mason Mount to replace a tiring Hendersen & Bukayo Saka, while France brought in Koman to replace Dembele. Mount had an immediate impact running into the French box with less than 10 minutes to go, & had Hernandez shoulder him hard to the ground - a clear penalty denied by the referee initially, but VAR intervention made him look again & he pointed to the dreaded spot one more time - the whole English camp & supporters were looking at redemption time, as Harry Kane once gain stepped into to take the kick. However, probably the pressure of the situation, or a moment's indecision, or both, Kane blew the ball over the bar, & with that the English hopes of coming back vanished. 8 minutes of added injury time saw a desperate England looking for inroads & a frantic French looking at defending the slender lead. Maguire got the first yellow card for England in this tournament (a reflection of their stern discipline through the tournament), but he made amends by earning a freekick just outside the French box. Substitute Rashford stepped in & whipped over the French wall, but the ball did not dip enough as a relieved Lloris saw land on the roof of the net, as the full time whistle blew the game to an end. 

It was a fabulous match, & perhaps England were the better side on the day, unfortunately ending up losing. This certainly was not a typical England exit, where as earlier time, they would win emphatically against lower class of international side only to struggle & pale out against the first good team they faced. This team was rich in class, very strong on mentality & intent, scoring heavily & not reliant on Kane alone, awesome bench strength to back & astute leadership from Southgate. The Three Lions had done their supporters proud with their performance, & its a shame, they did not go further up in the tournament. With this, in a tournament of upsets, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Portugal & now England, all pre tournament favourites have been packed home. 

France, have now reached the semi finals for the seventh time, while the first time since 1982/1986 to do so consecutively. They will take on a rather tricky encounter with emerging Africans, Morocco, who have quietly surprised football fans & critics world over. 

FIFA World Cup : Portugal vs Morocco

 History was written, when arguable minnows Morocco became the first African to reach the semifinals of the World Cup, slaying a prodigal Portugal 1-0. Defending relentlessly against a very strong Portugal attack, & exhibiting super counter attacking intent, the Atlas Lions, have roared into the last four, having eliminated Belgium, Spain & now Portugal, all strong per tournament cup contenders. 

In an entertaining encounter, both teams went toe to toe without taking any backward steps, as Portugal held the initiatives in the early part of the game, dominating the openings without getting any clear view of the goal, while, Morocco went ahead, just minutes before the half time, as En-Nesyri struck with a decisive header. From a cross by Attiyah-Allah from the left, Portugal keeper Costa failed to read the flight & the Sevilla striker leapt beautifully to head the ball into the unguarded net, putting Morocco ahead 1-0, as the half time whistle blew. En-Nesyri became the first Moroccan to score three times in a World Cup tournament, & that too with just three shots on target - speak of conversion rates against all odds. 

The 2nd half continued to be a tightly contested affair, as the Portugal attacking line failed to convert their chances, & Moroccans held firm on their slender lead. Portugal players screamed for a penalty as Fernandes went down to a challenge by Achraf Hakimi, but a VAR review went abegging, as the Selecao players fumed in anguish. Finally the resilient & hard working Morocco scalped their more fancied opponent Portugal to a narrow 1-0 win. For Ronaldo & Pepe, this is most probably the end of the road in World Cup, as the new generation of Ramos, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Leao, Felix et all take over. 

Morocco, ranked as low as 22nd in the world, three places below Wales, have actually faced just two defeats in their last 45 games, which is probably a statistic that went unnoticed by all the major critics & football lovers, as the Atlas Lions have grown huge under the radar. They scored goals when it mattered the most & saved goals when it mattered the most - the hallmark of a Champion team in the making. Coach Walid Regragui has only been around 100 days with this team, & what transformation he was brought about. They now await the winners of France & England later in the night, the last of the quarterfinals. 

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FIFA World Cup Quarterfinals : Netherlands vs Argentina

 In a high temper knife edged match Messi's Argentina pipped Netherlands to reach the semifinals of this World Cup to meet giant slayer Croatia. 

The game started quite tentatively, testing each other's intent & depth, but it was surely the Latin American outfit that was having the better of the exchanges, with Messi weaving through at will around midfield to create openings. In around the 35th minute, it was Messi magic on display as he dropped behind around midfield & then darting through, threaded a pass into the Dutch box, where Molina quickly latched on to the ball & stepping beyond Blind, stabbed past the keeper Noppert into the net, as the Albiceleste crowd went into raptures. 1-0. The Dutch were quite a loose bunch in the first half, with solo efforts from Depay, Gapko & De Jong, but looked a tad off colour, as the referee blew the half time whistle. 

2nd half started with Argentina holding the upper card & Messi weaving magic across the field, & the Dutch team looking further down the barrel. Around the 70th minute, Acuna dribbled down the flank to enter the box, & Dumfries tripped him for the referee to immediately blow the whistle & point to the dreaded spot. Messi stepped in as expected & his calm, composed shot buried inside the net, with Noppert rooted to his spot, & Argentina were already celebrating, believing in the semis spot, 2-0. It looked done & dusted for the men in White & Blue stripes, as the Orange looked glum. Netherlands threw in their last card on deck by bringing in Luuk de Jong & Wout Weghorst to try something different, & almost immediately got dividends, as Berghuis curled in a beautiful cross & Weghorst raced to the front post & his glancing header was a peach to bounce beyond the Argentinian keeper Martinez & enter the net to make the score 2-1, & Dutch looked to be vback in the game. Deep into the injury time, Weghorst did it again, when Koopmeiners shaped to shoot, but instead rolled the ball where Weghorst received & slotted the ball into the bottom corner of the net to square the score at 2-2, with just seconds to full time. Weghorst had become the first Netherlands player to score a brace as a substitute in a World Cup, & what a time to gather the accolades. 

The extra time was cagey & ill tempered & as both sides had opportunities to score, as tension & tempers raised ugly heads. Dumfries received his 2nd yellow card of the match to get marching orders, as referee looked baffled. 

In the penalties, Argentina prevailed 4-3 to finally heave a sigh of relief, as the match had almost slipped away from them despite leading 2-0 around 72nd minute of the game. Their untested defense came under a barrage of Dutch attacks, led by Weghorst & de Jong as the score levelled & went into extra time & then the penalties. Argentina will now meet Croatia in a very tricky encounter, who are relishing their staying powers, having dispatched Cup favourites Brazil in the quarters, purely on strategy & resolve. 

 

FIFA World Cup Quarterfinals : Brazil vs Croatia

 In a heart burn for millions of supporters across the world, a resilient & disciplined Croatia stunned title contenders Brazil in penalty shoot outs to reach the semi finals of the World Cup. Penalty shoot outs have almost always suited the Croatians & this was their 4th successive such win, while for Brazil, it was their first loss in penalties since 1986, when they had lost to France. In both the cases, Brazil led by a goal first, only to allow their opponents to equalise & then somehow lost their nerves to face exit. 

The game's standout player was Croatian Goal Keeper Dominik Livakovic, who is having a dream tournament & may well go on to win the Golden Glove of this edition. He was tested by the Brazilians on multiple occasions, but somehow managed to keep the ball from entering the net. Coming in a substitute for Raphinha, Antony offered a lot of spark down the right flank, but somehow Brazil failed to make good of their chances, allowing Croatia to grow into their belief & into the game. However, for once, Neymar got the better of him in extra time, when in a stunning one two one move with Paqueta, he shuffled between two defenders, went past a diving Livakovic & fired the ball into the top net, as Brazil supporters went delirious with 1-0 lead. With this goal, Neymar stands level with Pele as the most goals scored for Brazil at 77. With the stadium celebrating the moment of magic, Brazil now had to defend another 10 minutes to reach the semis. However, not giving up, the Croatians found a way back, as substitute Petkovic received a pass from Orsis inside the box & his angling left footer beat the flailing Alisson under the bar via a deflection into the net, as the score levelled 1-1, with just 3 minutes remaining. Both sides tried hard, & Casemiro had a huge opportunity when the ball was at his feet from a set piece, but his effort was not strong enough, as Livakovic managed to parry the ball out, & it was the end of extra time. Now it was Croatia who went into the penalties on high morale & the momentum had shifted. Croatia scored from all their four shots, as Alisson failed to stop even one, while on the other side, Livakovic saved the first shot from a nervy looking Rodrygo & then Marquinhos hit the post, as Croatia celebrated 4-2 win to swarm the field in joy. Livakovic has now made four saves in penalties to become the joint holder of most saves in the tournament history. On the other side, a normally reliable Brazilian keeper Alisson had a rather poor game. Faced with just one real shot on target, he could not save it, which would've safely carried Brazil to the semis, & then on penalties, he could not save a single of the four Croatian spot kicks. 

Brazilians had played a good game, but did not read the Croatian strategy of frustrating their moves & disrupting their fluid game. They still created multiple opportunities, but could not finish with just the keeper to beat from close range. This arguably has been the biggest upset in the tournament so far, with pre tournament favourite & the World no 1 ranking team going out. Brazil has now failed to cross the quarterfinals four time in last five editions of this tournament. Croatia now await the winners from the next match between Netherlands & Argentina. 

FIFA World Cup : Assessing Quarterfinals

As the World Cup reaches its business end, & the quarterfinals start from today, we reflect on the last 8 teams in the competition, which promises some mouth watering contests ahead. While the world has already had its fair share of viral moments & upsets, it promises some scintillating games of football ahead, as some dreams are about to be ruined, while some memories are to be created. This is a time for the real heroes to step up 

1) Brazil vs Croatia : (looks to be a Brazil win)

Tite's Brazil squad started the tournament as favourites & have lived to the expectations till now, despite an unexpected stumble against Cameroon in the final group stage fixture, where they fielded a 2nd string team. The wins against Switzerland & Serbia had some fantastic moments, though the full flow was in patches. In the round of 16, against South Korea, Brazil were at their Samba best with some fluid, pressing football that enthralled the crowds, scoring at will in the first half to win 4-1. With that kind of form, they are surely looking the scintillating Selecao, capable of dancing into the Cup lifting Ceremony on 18th of this month. Its been 20 years since they did that & this team certainly has all the potential capabilities to end the wait. They are functioning well in all departments & are nor reliant on Neymar alone for scoring. The riches in the ranks are staggering with Neymar & his immense presence upfront, Richarlison & his jugglery, Vinicius with his bullet like run down the flanks, Raphinha with his dribbling & neat assists on the other side, Paqueta with his quietly skillful positioning down the middle, Casemiro with his defensive & offensive domination in midfield, Militao, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva & Danilo managing the backline, while providing support in attack, all in unison, & then the large calming influence under the bar by Alisson - apart from this is a bench strength that has stars like Antony, Rodrigo, Martinelli, Fabinho, Ederson, who can walk into any other team's first eleven. This is an enviable squad  with an incredible depth no doubt, despite injury niggles with Neymar, Alex Sandro, Jesus(already out of the tournament for surgery). The world awaits the Joga Bonito, that defines Brazilian brand of football. 

Croatia on the other hand have come through to the round of 8 as runners up from Group F, with some less than convincing performances. Barring the emphatic 4-1 win against Canada, they struggled to draw against Morocco & Belgium & then against Japan in the round of 16, they trailed initially to then level the score 1-1 into penalties, where Japan simply imploded to give Croatia an unexpected passage into quarters. Remarkably it was the 6th time in their last seven knockout ties, that the game went into extra time, & Croatia prevailed in most of them. They may not always beat you, but they can push your limits physically, mentally & emotionally. If the game goes into extra time, then they become likely winners, given the stage. The midfield trio of Luca Modric, Mateo Kovacic & Marcelo Brozovic have the experience, tenacity & technical ability to hold the ball & make opponents chase you, a capability that non of Brazil's opponents have provided till now - so it will be an interesting battle of nerves & skills in the midfield that will determine the outcome of the game. Coach Dalic will certainly play on this as his key strategy to thwart the marauding Brazilian attacks. Outstanding goalkeeping by the lanky Dominik Livakovic till now, especially against Japan to block 3 penalties will certainly boost Croatia's will & intent in defense against Brazil. This will be the 3rd encounter between the two teams in a World Cup, with Brazil having won the last two. 

2) Netherlands vs Argentina : (a nail biting contest with Netherlands nosing ahead)

Netherlands have been quietly but efficiently going about their business in this World Cup. They were comfortable toppers from Group A, with wins against Senegal & Qatar & then a 1-1 draw with Ecuador. they dispatched USA in the round of 16 with a resounding 3-1 win. Lois van Gaal has been able to stitch a well knit team, which plays 3-5-2 formation, much against the popular 4-3-3, which is the heart of total football, so integral to the teachings of Johan Cruyff. The new formation has paid dividends till now as the Orange team are unbeaten in their last 19 games. The team is defensively quite competent with Noppert under the bar, & Frenkie in holding midfield along with the back three of van Dijk, Eke & de Light or Timber de Jong will try & ensure that Messi & company do not get a sniff at the goal, while, attacking full backs Dumfries & Blind will launch through the flanks to create width as forwards Depay, Klassen & Gakpo would look to cash on any opportunity with their quicksilver movements. Cody Gakpo has already emerged as one of the stars in the tournament & has three goals under his belt. On paper & strategy, this has worked well for van Gaal as we look forward to some exciting orange splash on the field. 

Argentina team is all about Leo Messi at 35 yrs, in arguably his last World Cup, & yearning to pick up the elusive trophy for his over flowing shelf of trophies - and with Messi's Argentina the shadow of Diego Maradona looms larger than life. Maradona had almost single handedly won the World Cup in 1986, mesmerising the world with his exhilarating skills - this will reside heavy on Messi's shoulders as Argentinian supporters world over are praying for a similar feat from him. In this World Cup, Messi has already scored three goals & inspired his team into quarterfinals. Barring the first game stuttering loss to Saudi Arabia in the group stages, the Albiceleste have looked very reassuring & in control on the ground. With young turk Alvaraz & ageing Di Maria on the wings along with Messi in the middle, supported by MacAllister, Fernandez & De Paul in midfield, while Acuna, Otamendi, Romero & Molina covering the backline, Martinez taking guard under the bar, this team under Scaloni looks good to go the distance. However, given their Orange opponents' versatility, if Argentina fails to score early through a moment of Messi magic or Alvarez's pacy run, the game could become cagey enough for the Netherlands to sneak in their own initiatives. The longer the game goes, the more chances of Netherlands taking the upper hand. Interesting game on cards for sure - should be entertaining enough to clutch at the seats till the end. 

3) Morocco vs Portugal : (A Moroccan upset win is on cards, but Portugal should prevail)

From Baghdad to Casablanca, fans have cheered vociferously, as Morocco became the first Arabic speaking country to qualify for the last eight in this World Cup. The Atlas Lions are on the verge of history, if they manage to win against Portugal & advance to the semis, which will make them the 1st African nation to achieve this feat. This Cinderella like story has been crafted by none other than their coach Walid Regragui, who has implemented an effective defend & counter attack strategy, that none of their more fabled opponents have been able to unlock till now. Croatia, Belgium, Canada & lastly Spain, have failed to break this hard nut Moroccan resilience, who have conceded only one goal till now & that too an own goal. In the penalty shoot outs against Spain, Yassine Bounou, could not be breached even once, which is more than a remarkable statistics in their favour. This team stays deep in their own half to defend dourly & then canter forward on counter attacks to score. With the likes of Ziyech, En-Nesyri & Boufal upfront there is no dearth of fire power, & then there is the ever reliable Amrabat in the midfield along with Ounahi & Amallah, backed by Hakimi, Aguerd, Saiss & Mazraoui in defence. Finally the smiling & calming influence of Bono under the bar. This team has the ability & perhaps the belief to upset the best, as the Atlas Lions are purring.

Coach Fernando Santos has injected a real purpose in Portugal's campaign in this World Cup. Having benched their mercurial superstar Rolando against Switzerland in the round of 16 to bring in 21yrs old Goncalo Ramos has been a masterstroke, resulting in a resounding 6-1 win against a normally hard to score off Swiss defense, along with the first hattrick of the tournament under the belt of Ramos. There is a general feeling that if there's a side that can unlock the stubborn, watertight Moroccan defense, it will be the this Portugal attack with Bruno Fernandes orchestrating the play & Joao Felix along with Bernardo Silva providing the necessary support to Ramos. This we are speaking of keeping Ronaldo, one of the fiercest strikers of all times in the reserves, along with Leao, Vitinha, Horta & Ruben Neves. Then there is the presence of Dalot, Pepe, Dias & Guerreiiro at the back line, with D Costa under the bar. This is certainly a team with enormous potential & rich depth. This will certainly be a match worth the watch. 

4) France vs England : (a close encounter with France getting better of the two in the end)

Barring a blip in performance to lose 1-0 to Tunisia in the group stages, France has been a special team in this tournament. As reigning champions, one had expected an upset exit, given the traditional winner's curse since 2002, when 1998 winners France were eliminated in group stages. 2006 winners Italy were eliminated in 2010, while 2010 winners Spain went out in 2014 & then 2014 winners Germany were out in group stages in 2018 !! In this tournament, France is coming of age like old wine, as Didier Deschamps is reinventing the midfield by giving Antoine Griezmann a new role as a holding midfielder. With the absence of Paul Pogba & Kante to injuries, Griezmann has taken up this new challenge alongside Rabiot & Tchouameni to create flair, grit, intelligence & work load that brings the fluidity & creativity in the ranks. With Karim Benzema withdrawn for injuries, the attacking line rests on the young shoulders of Kylian Mbappe, who is the current front runner for the Golden Boot with five goals in his kitty. His electric pace, supported by the likes of Dembele on the other flank & Giroud upfront, along with Griezmann, Tchouameni & Rabiot in midfield & the the solid defense managed by Kounde, Varane, Upamecano & Hernandez, & Lloris under the bar, this team looks mean & hungry & capable of demolishing any opponent. The bench strength may not be that deep & strong, & this team is not the same as the one that won the Cup in 2018. However, they are a formidable unit to go the distance. 

To date, it has been a near perfect tournament for England, as they remain one of the very few unbeaten teams in this edition. Barring a draw with the US, this team has overpowered all oppositions with goals galore. They haven't conceded a single goal in the last three games, & are the current leading goal scorers along with Portugal at 12, with eight different contributors. They haven't picked up a single card during the tournament, showing that the players have been extremely disciplined & focused. The game with France provides coach Gareth Southgate with the opportunity to prove that they are indeed world beaters, however a loss will strengthen the rumors that he is good, but unable to win a major tournament. With Jude Bellingham, the teenage sensation, being superlative on the field showing maturity beyond his age, the team looks extremely capable with Captain Harry Kane marshalling the attack along with Saka & Foden on the flanks, Hendersen, Rice & Bellingham in midfield, Walker, Stones, Maguire & Shaw at backline & Pickford under the bar - the team looks extremely lean & tidy, not to forget the likes of Rashford, Grealish, Trippier, Mount, Alexander-Arnold, Ramsdale, Sterling, Gallaghar, all in the reserves, Southgate is spoilt for choices in all positions. Arguably the most potent English football team in a long time. The Three Lions are really looking good to go the distance. This will be the 3rd meeting between these two European giants in World Cup, & given that England have won both the previous two, history gives them an edge. However, both these victories were in 1966 & 1982, & in recent times, France have lost only one encounter in their last eight meetings with England. This game is the fiercest among all the quarterfinals, promising to be a nail biting humdinger & the one to hold nerves better, should prevail.  

The above predictions are based on my reading of the game - Let the best team on the day win !!

FIFA World Cup Round of 16 : Portugal vs Switzerland

 In the last of the round of 16 clashes, Portugal decimated Switzerland to reach the quarterfinals. Even before the game had begun, Portugal Coach, Fernando Santos dropped a bombshell by removing Captain & mercurial forward Cristiano Ronaldo from the playing eleven. This move, which had raised quite a few eyebrows, turned out to be a masterstroke, as the Goncalo Ramos, who replaced Ronaldo, went on to score a hat trick on his debut to secure a rather comfortable 6-1 win over Switzerland & set up a quarterfinal face off with Morocco. 

The game stayed even at both ends till about 15 minutes, when Felix received the ball from a throw in & passed to the eager & hungry Goncalo Ramos in inside the box, who took a touch & hammered the ball past Sommer into the near post from a very tight angle, as Portugal went up 1-0. Ramos had already vindicated the Coach's faith for bringing him him in place of Ronaldo. At 21 yrs, he became the youngest Portugal player to score a World Cup goal in a knock out match. While Switzerland were still trying to regroup, Portugal went up 2-0, as Bruno Fernandes swung the ball into the box from a corner & veteran Pepe, belying his 39 yrs, rose high to thump in a header past Sommer. He became the oldest player to score in a World Cup knock out stage. Portugal were running away with this game, as Sommer made an important save from the ever surging Ramos, moments before the half time. Switzerland were rather sluggish & slow in approach, as the half time whistle blew. 

After the lemon break, Portugal came back with more intent, & Ramos as a classic center forward, converted a low cross into the near post from Dalot to make it 3-0. It was 4-0 minutes later, as Ramos slipped the ball to Guerreiro inside the box & the overlapping left back belted a left footer into the top corner of the net. Dazed into submission, Switzerland managed to pull back one, when Akanji tapped the ball in from a corner to reduce the margin to 4-1. For the next few minutes, the Swiss formation did control the proceedings, trying to come back into an almost lost cause. However, Ramos earned his well deserved hattrick, as Felix gave him a delightful through pass inside the box & Ramos coolly slotted past Sommer to make it 5-1. The first hattrick of the tournament had been carved by a 21 year old on his debut game - fantastic prospect for the future indeed. This was the first hattrick on debut, since Miroslav Klose of Germany in 2002. Coach Santos, took out Ramos now, & brought in Ronaldo - finally, as the crowd cheered the superstar onto the pitch. Meanwhile, Ronaldo, darted behind the already tiring Swiss defense t& drove a strong left footer into the net, but the linesman pulled up offside. With the game into the injury time, winger Leao received the ball from Guerreiro, cut inside from left & nonchalantly curled the ball past Sommer into the net to make it 6-1, in a game where Portugal overwhelmed Switzerland in all departments. Ramos would certainly be the cherry in the middle with his hattrick, but it was a true team effort, combining beautifully across the park & everything working to the T for the European Selecao. 

Switzerland had played decent football till now, but were sledgehammered today, & would be disappointed on how they lost. Portugal, in quarterfinals for the first time since 2006, will now meet Morocco for a place in the semis, which looks to be an interesting & entertaining contest for sure. 

FIFA World Cup Round of 16 : Spain vs Morocco

 In probably the biggest upset in the tournament, Morocco shocked title contenders Spain to reach their first ever quarter finals via penalty shoot outs, which turned out to be a clear one sided affair. Spain's Penalty curse continued, as they lost for the third consecutive tournament in this fashion - & this time failing to score even once !!

The whole game was a story of scratchy play in the midfield followed by occasional burst on counter attack, only to witness poor finishing. While Morocco looked more resolute in defense, their midfield was far more creative to anticipate the slow build up of their opponents, & they just waited with body blocks to thwart the Spanish moves & then run on counter attacks. In fact the first chance of the match actually came Morocco's way, as Hakimi whipped a free kick from around 25 yards, that just sailed over the bar. On the other side Asensio's good run into the box was was wasted with a shot that curled into the side netting. The passage of play was boring & sluggish, but the experts kept saying that Spain would eventually prevail, as the first half came to an end. 

In the 2nd half, Spain again dominated possession, & at one time it showed Spain having completed 800 passes as against just 234 by Morocco, a huge difference on the pitch, but not converting into a goal. This was the bane of Spain, as they were slow in build up, expecting their African opponents to commit a mistake or get overwhelmed, but Morocco were simply clearer in their mind & strategy, which was to stay deep & absorb the pressure, & take the game as far as possible to tire out their diminutive rivals. Spain had their moments, but could not capitalise & the famous tiki taka game play was simply absent. Sofyan Amrabat was the midfield machine for Morocco, as he was near perfect in his possession, interception & screening, covering almost every part of the ground, with Boufal, Ziyech, & Hakimi all combining well around him. It was a masterclass performance to neutralise the Spanish attack. 

Extra time hardly created any urgency in the Spanish attack, as they kept on slowly building their attack, allowing their opponents to regroup. Still in the final moments of the game, substitute Sarabia's strike hit the post & went out, as the referee whistled for the penalty shoot outs. 

In the penalties, it was a more relaxed & confident Morocco, against a rather tense Spain, who seem to brood & go into a shell - the self belief so common with them seemed to have deserted them. Sarabia came to take the first kick, & his shot hit the post to go out(very similar to his last shot in the game). Soler next too tried a weak placement, which Bono saved gleefully, while captain Busquets coming in for the third kick also was poor with his shot, easily saved by Bono - on the other hand Morocco converted the first two kicks confidently, as Unai Simon stopped the third to give Spain a faint hope, only for Hakimi to step up & score to win the penalties 3-0 for Morocco, Spain with an astonishing blank, were out of the tournament. It was an unbelievable sight to see veterans in the Spanish side, make a hash of their shots - such poor attempts, that left coach Enrique staring into a gloomy space. 

In reality, Spain did not deserve to win. They took things for granted in the last group stage game to lose to Japan, but did not learn from that game & paid a very heavy price today with an exit in the round of 16. 

Morocco are now undefeated in their last 5 games in World Cup, & now they await the winners of Portugal & Switzerland & looking at their resilience, one can expect more from them. In the group stages, they drew with Croatia first & then defeated Belgium & Canada, & now consumed Spain - outstanding performance indeed. 

FIFA World Cup Round of 16 : Brazil vs South Korea

 Favourites Brazil swamped South Korea in practically a one way traffic, in a sublime display of Samba football, that we football lovers yearn to gape at. A game dominated by some breathtaking, swashbuckling Samba style, that entertained the World, asking for more. 

It took just 7 minutes for Brazil to start scoring, as Raphinha worked his way through the right flank & coolly put the ball in the box in between Korean defenders, where a composed Vinicius received, steadied & the lobbed the ball past one & all into the net, as the Korean defense stood helplessly. In another couple of minutes, an attempted clearance led to Richarlison being fouled inside the box & referee pointed to the dreaded spot. Raphinha initially took the ball but then gave it to Neymar, who wrongfooted keeper Kim Seung-gyu to roll the ball into the right corner of the net, as Brazil went up 2-0. With this goal, Neymar now has 76 goals for his Country, just one behind legendary Pele. The yellow blue brigade was just loitering the pitch in gay abandon. South Korea had a sniff at their opponent's goal, but Allisson was was rick solid under the bar. Casemiro then funneled the ball to Neymar, who from the right corner end, passed  into the middle, & Richarlison did some amusing yet brilliant juggling with his head & feet, as Koreans gaped & groped in thin air, & then smoothly passed to Marquinhos who then passed to Thiago Silva, who played back to Richarlison, who in turn finished the move by slotting the ball into the net - all of this in a matter of a few seconds, as the Koreans blinked in disbelief, the rapturous crowd on its feet, & the Men in Yellow Blue broke into their customary dancing to celebrate - a dance that would put the best dancers to task, as if choreographed & orchestrated to make you join the jig. Vintage Brazil & Samba football was in full display. Within minutes again Brazil raided the Korean backline & this time, Richarlison carried the ball forward before finding Neymar, who in turn played to Vinicius, & the winger simply put the ball across the face of the goal, for Paqueta to finish, while the other Brazilian forwards had drawn away the Korean defenders. Within no time Brazil were up 4-0, as South Korea looked shell shocked. As the referee blew the half time whistle to give some reprieve to the hapless Koreans, it was some of the most exhilarating football on show, full of swagger & arrogance, that is so typical of Brazil, a lazy rhythm, that is named Joga Bonito. In between Brazil fluffed at least another 3 clear chances. 

South Korea came back in the 2nd half, aiming for some redemption, as Brazil continued to play in gay abandon, as Neymar from deep in midfield orchestrated moves & Raphinha, Vinicius, Paqueta, Richarlison, all kept the Koreans busy in frantic saves. Somehow by the hour mark, Brazil had taken their foot off the accelerator, as if in conversation mode, simply toying with their opponents, & not invested much, as the competition seemed inadequate. With around 15 odd minutes left to play, from a rebound off a free kick, Seung Ho Paik, pulled one back for the Koreans, as his blistering left footer arrowed past the outstretched arms of Alisson into the net to make the score 4-1. A  moment to savor in a score line to forget - A consolation goal, that would restore some dignity for the Koreans, who had tried their very best & had few moments of ascendency, but dwarfed against the skills & controls of their famed opponents. Brazil made some changes, to take off Neymar, Alisson, Vinicius, Danilo, saving them for the next game, as the score sheet remained 4-1 till the end. It was nice to see the Brazilian contingent going to the crowds & unfurling a banner displaying a touching tribute to Pele, who is ailing & in hospital on support system. 

South Korea end their campaign & can be proud of their achievements in the group stages, while, Brazil march on to quarter finals, where they meet the feisty Croatia, who have a history of coming back from the dumps. This will be an interesting game, as Samba football with have to orchestrate against the European physicality & technical strength. 

FIFA World Cup Round of 16 : Japan vs Croatia

 In a ding dong battle of nerves, resilience & footballing skills, Samurai Warriors Japan took on the last edition's runners up Croatia in the round of 16 knock out game. 

Although Croatia enjoyed the better of the possession in the 1st half, their passing was lazy & it was Japan who took advantage of this to counter attack to come back in the game. Around the end minutes of the half, Doan's cross from a short corner is met by Yoshida & his header falls into a dangerous spot inside the box & Maeda reacted first to put the ball into the net, as Japan lead 1-0 into half time. Perisic had Croatia's best chance, but he muffled with only keeper Gonda to beat. 

However, 10 minutes into the 2nd half, Croatia found their equaliser, as veteran Perisic found Lovren's cross inside the box & he headed hard into the bottom right corner, as core levelled at 1-1. From then on, both sides did all that they could, & half chances went abegging at both ends, as the supporters gnawed their nails in agony of a miss or heave a sigh of relief at a reprieve. The game went on & on, as none gave an inch to the other. Full time whistle ended the regulation time & the match went into extra time for the first time in this tournament. However, while both sides induced a few changes to bring in fresh legs, the score remained unchanged & the game moved to nerve wracking  penalties. 

However, after such an emphatic battle of everything on cards, it was a complete wash out in the penalties. Croatian keeper, Livakovic made two saves in a row at the beginning & in all three rather simple saves, as the Japanese shooters caved in, probably under pressure, & Croatia sailed into the quarterfinals. The Samurai Warriors from the Land of the Rising Sun, saw their Sun go down, as hung shoulders, & dazed eyes told the story of so near & yet so far. They failed to create their third upset of the tournament, after consuming Germany & Spain. - It was a fabulous record & one to be proud of certainly. 

Croatia maintained their 100% record of penalty shoot outs in World Cup, having won all three (against Denmark & Russia in 2018 & now against Japan). They live to fight another day, in their legendary capability to come out of the deepest dug out as ever, & now await the winners between Brazil & South Korea, later in the evening.  

FIFA World Cup Round of 16 : England vs Senegal

 England continued their good form in this tournament, as they outclassed a resilient Senegal 3-0 in the round of 16, to book a place in the quarterfinals where they will meet reigning champions France in what promises to be a humdinger of a contest. 

After struggling to find their winning rhythm, England finally broke the deadlock, in the 38th minute, when Kane dropped deep to release the ball to teenage sensation Bellingham who sprinted through the Senegalese defenders & put the ball in the box from where, Hendersen cooly tapped the ball with his left foot past a flailing keeper Edouard Mendy into the net, as England went up 1-0. Senegal had been hardly threatened before that & in fact they had enjoyed the better of the exchanges till then. Earlier, Senegal had sliced through the English defense, when Diatta's cross was mishit by Dia & Sarr rushing in with keeper Pickford at his mercy, blasted the ball over the net. Minutes later there was another reprieve for England, when a poor pass from Saka deep their own right flank, was latched onto by Sarr, & he cut into the edge of the box & found Dia, whose stinging left footer was parried out by the outstretched palm of Pickford in a fantastic reflex action, as the side heaved a sigh of relief. Hendersen's goal after this, seemed to lift the English spirits, while the Africans looked a bit deflated. In the dying seconds of the 1st half, it was Bellingham again, who latched on to a loose ball deep in their own half & sprinted past Senegalese players through the middle at will & then sweetly passed onto Foden on the left flank, who in turn unselfishly pushed the ball to an unmarked Harry Kane, who gleefully thundered the ball past a hapless Mendy to rattle back of the net & put England up 2-0, as half time whistle blew. This was Harry Kane's first strike in this World Cup. It was a sublime combination of football to give England complete control of the game. England have scored 5 first half goals in four games, the most by any team in this World Cup & all of them have come around just after the half hour mark. 

2nd half, saw England relish the lead & attack, as Senegal looked more & more deflated, In then just around the hour mark, England made it 3-0, as Foden in his customary run down the left wing dribbled down the byline & fired the ball across the face of the net & Saka running in from the other side, coolly lifted the ball over Mendy & into the back of the net, as the Three Lions led 3-0. Saka's goal was the 12th in the tournament for England so far, in just four games, equaling their entire score from 2018 edition - remarkable statistics to look at. Barring the toiling goal less draw with USA in the group stages, tis team has scored at will till now, turning on the heat for the opposition. From there on, England just kept Senegal attacks at bay & occasionally threatened to increase the margin, as the full time whistle sealed their passage into the last 8, & end of Senegal's journey in this World Cup. Senegal badly missed the presence of their mercurial forward Sadio Mane, who was sidelined for injury just before the World Cup. 

Meanwhile, with Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Rashford & teenage sensation Bellingham in rich vein of form, the Three Lions are in ominous form to face France for a place in the semis ahead. Should be a cracker of a game for sure, as strategies & playing skills on the day will decide probably. 

FIFA World Cup Round of 16 : France vs Poland

 France demolished Poland 3-1 in the round of 16 to advance to the quarterfinals of this World Cup, as Olivier Giroud opened the scoring & then Kylian Mbappe scored a brace to ensure smooth passage for the reigning champions. 

Oliver Giroud became France's leading all time goal scorer, going beyond Thierry Henry, with his 52nd goal for LesBleus. Just before the lemon break, Mbappe slid the ball in the path of Giroud inside the box & his left footer went past the full stretch Szczesny to give France the lead 1-0. Earlier Poland, missed gilt edged chances, as Zielinski's shot from point blank was saved by French keeper Lloris, before Upamecano put his body to block off the 2nd attempt, & then Varance cleared with confidence to thwart any danger, as French defense breathed a sigh of relief. Poland had to pay a heavy price for not being able to convert their chances & at half time France led 1-0. 

Poland, whose performance was far better & pressing in the 1st half than their last game against Argentina, were expected to come out with all guns blazing, but it was France who started to dominate the game, as their forwards pushed for more. With around 15 minutes left to final whistle, Mbappe fired in the second goal for France, as Dembele cut in from the right flank & fed Mbappe in the middle, who slammed a right footer bullet into the net, 2-0. With the game moving into injury time, Mbappe fired again, receiving a lovely pass from Thuram & hammered into the right hand corner of the net to take the score to 3-0, as the Les Blues started to celebrate. Lewandowski reduced the margin with a spot kick, which he initially missed & Lloris saved, but got a second chance to the shot, as Lloris was out of the line & other French players had moved before the strike. The final score was 3-1, & Poland perished. It was a sub par performance in the tournament & they were lucky to be in the round of 16 - they had their chances today, but could not capitalise in the first half & paid the price, as France blew them away. 

While Olivier Giroud becomes France's highest scorer with 52 goals, Kylian Mbappe, with a brace today takes his tally to 5 in this tournament, leading the Golden Boot for now. France will meet the winners of the match later in the evening between England & Senegal. 

FIFA World Cup Round of 16 : Argentina vs Australia

 In the 2nd game of the knock outs, a rejuvenated Argentina faced Australia, with a lot of whispers on a possible upset. The match started rather sedately, with both sides looking at breaking through. Arnold's Australia were fairly well organised in their backline, thwarting the Argentinian attacks by staying firm deep in defense & look for occasional counter attacks, while Scaloni's side laboured to go forward. However, Lionel Messi, in his 1000th game, came up with his touch of magic to create the vital chink & score his 789th career goal, which also was his first goal in the knock out stages of World Cup for Argentina . His initial free kick from the right side near the corner was repelled by Souttar, but the men in blue white stripes regained possession of the ball, as MacAllister played to Otamendi, whose first touch is met by the wily Messi & his angled push in betwwen two defenders, rolled behind the outstretched Ryan to nestle into the bottom left corner of the net, as Argentina went up 1-0, as the deadlock was broken. A typical Messi moment, that we have come to witness over the years. As the referee blew the half time whistle, the score remained intact at 1-0 for the Albiceleste. 

Around the hour mark, in the 2nd half, Argentina went up 2-0, gifted by a horrible mix up in the Australian box. Under pressure from Argentinian attack, Keeper Ryan threw the ball at Rowles, who back passed poorly to the keeper Ryan, who lost the ball to a lurking Alvarez, & the Man City youngster simply pushed ball into the empty net, as the Aussie defense looked in horror. This was enough to deflate the men in yellow green, & the Argentinians came swarming in packs hunting for more. With the game looking dead & buried, Aussies came back out of nowhere, as Goodwin's long ranger from around 25 yards boomed in to ricochet off Fernandes & wrong footed the keeper Martinez to enter the net, as the score changed to 2-1. Suddenly there was a spring in the strides of the Aussies, & minutes later Behich used his pace to waltz through a maze of Argentinians & with the keeper to beat inside the box, his shot was blocked by a sliding Martinez, for a corner, as the chance went abegging, much to the chagrin of the Australian supporters. The match had suddenly become chaotic as both sides went all out, a& the match stretched into 7 minutes of extra time. Messi mesmerised & created a number of chances, threading through the Aussie backline, but Lautaro Martinez fumbled in finishing as Australian defense held on. In the dying moments Australia almost equalised, as a cross inside the box is well controlled by Kuol & he turned & fired a low shot which the Argentinian keeper Martinez recovers in the second attempt, after almost letting it go past him. His colleagues collapsed on him in gratitude, as the Aussies groaned in agony. It was curtains for the Soceroos, as the Albiceleste triumphed after some very anxious minutes. Australia would rue giving away the second goal easily, in a defensive lapse. 

Argentina moves into the quarterfinals with a 2-1 victory, where they meet a formidable Netherlands, in what promises to be a mouth watering contest for sure. The form of Lionel Messi would be very very comforting for the men in blue white stripes, & as long as he orchestrates the moves, the team looks really threatening. 

FIFA World Cup Round of 16 : Netherlands vs USA

 In the first game of the knock outs, Netherlands took on a rather young & inexperienced USA. The more experienced & formidable Dutch, ensured that there are no hiccups & game doesn't go out of their grip, registering a clinical win 3-1 to reach the quarterfinals. Underdogs USA did put a valiant fight, but were no match to the skills & capabilities of the Orange Netherlands. 

USA began well & should've taken a lead as early as in the 3rd minute, when Pulisic had a clear sight of the Dutch goal, but his weak shot was easily saved by the lanky keeper Noppert. Probably Pulisic ws taken by surprise or the situation was overwhelming for him to miss. This proved costly as minutes later, Depay received the ball from Dumfries & buried in the bottom left corner, as Netherlands went up 1-0. The game slowly crept under the control of the Orange' & just before the end of 1st half, Dumfries unlocked the US defense once gain. He cut back the ball to Blind, who chased from the flanks & smashed the ball into the net to make it 2-0. 

Midway in teh 2nd half, USA did provide a glimmer of hope, when around the 70th minute, substitute Yedlin played the ball to Pulisic who lobbed the ball to Wright, who in turn pushed the ball over keeper Noppert into the net for a fortuitous goal to make the score 2-1. However, Netherlands stayed on top of the game, & around the 82nd minute, Dumfries again was in the thick of affairs, by adding to his two assists, by receiving a cross from Blind & his controlled volley went past Turner into the net to bury the game at 3-1. 

Netherlands deservingly won the game, & move into the last eight, where they will await the winner of Argentina vs Australia, while USA make their exit. They would be taking good lessons from this campaign & prepare well for 2026, when the Co-host the tournament in their back yard. 

FIFA World Cup : Group Stage insanity as Upsets Galore

 As the tournament moves into the business end & knock outs start, we are witnessing some incredible results, which most game pundits could not predict. Football heavyweights & title contenders had to bite dust, & some stuttered inexplicably, while minnows have emerged out of the shadows. Its been some rather crazy games & results against the run of play. 

Belgium, ranked 2nd in the FIFA World rankings, exited from the Group stage for the first time since 1998,as they struggled to find their rhythm. A team consisting of class players like Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Lukaku, Batshuayi, Mertens, Carrasco, along with Courtois under the bar, this team had reached the semis in the last edition going past Brazil. Famously known as the Red Devils, this was considered a Golden Generation of players, considered to be some of the finest to have ever donned the Belgian jersey, who would probably not be around in the next World Cup. They barely went past Canada, lost to Morocco in a major upset & drew blank with Croatia to end their campaign in a whimper. 

Germany played like a dream for long periods in the group stages, but ten odd minutes of insanely poor football against Japan in the opening game saw them lose 1-2 to the Samurai Blue, despite leading early on, & then coming from behind against Spain to draw level. There was hope when they went up against Costa Rica early on, & were looking good to progress. But once again, slipping in concentration for a few minutes early in the 2nd half, cost them two goals to go behind the Latin Americans, & while they stormed back to win the tie 4-2, they had left too much on the plate for other teams to grab, as they got eliminated on goal difference to Spain. The loss to Japan coming to haunt them bad. Hansi Flick's team did not see this coming, as they were expected o coast through the minnows. In a game of finest margins, Germany paid the price of loosing control, for a few crucial moments in their matches. However, Jamal Musiala was a huge revelation for them. The 19 year old is a super star for the future, with his ability to slice through maze of opponents & create chances out of nothing. Gnabry was another such star, along with Raum, Kimmich, Fullkrug, Sule, Gundogan, Trapp, Havertz, Goretzka, Muller & the ever reliant Neuer under the bar - this team is one of the best on paper today, with riches in all departments. Its a shame to see Germany pack their bags from the heat of Qatar to return to the cold winters at home. Till next time.... 

In other upsets, Spain escaped narrowly from exit, thanks to their goal difference advantage. Having decimated Costa Rica 7-0 in their opening game, they started very well against Germany to lead through a Alba Morata combination, but loose defending at the later stages allowed a goal & Germany to come back into reckoning. In the last game they lost to Japan after leading in the first half, once again falling asleep in defence & allowing complacency to creep in - a dangerous side to their game. On the other game, as Costa Rica were leading Germany 2-1, & in control, it seemed curtains for Spain, who survived only by the skin of their teeth. When in flow, the Spanish armada is one of the best to watch, weaving through opposition at will in their possession tiki taka game. Hopefully, a huge wake up call for this immensely talented team, & we get to see some delightful football from them here on. 

Reigning Champions, France, having secured their passage with wins against Australia & Denmark, decided to bench nine players first team players against lowly placed Tunisia in the last game. The decision back fired as Tunisia took this opportunity gleefully & went onto register one of their famous victories, 1-0 against the might France. Falling behind, Deschamps, did bring back four of his top strikers to restore parity, but lost the game, which may play heavily in the mind of the players in the next round. A scare for sure & hopefully a lessen learnt on not to tweak too much with a winning squad. 

Argentina, one of the best team in the fray too stumbled, only to wring back the initiative in time. In their very first game against Saudi Arabia, Messi scored from a dubious penalty decision early on to take the lead, but then in a maniac period of 15 minutes into the 2nd half, Saudi Arabia stunned the former champions to win 2-1, & throw a spanner in the wheels of the Albiceleste, risking them an early exit. However, to their credit, Messi & co regrouped back to win the next two matches emphatically against Mexico & Poland. They look quite ominous in their flow now with Messi creating chances from little deep in the middle, & Alvarez, Di Maria, Enzo Fernandes to capilatise. 

To top it all, on the last day of the group stage games, Brazil lost to Cameroon against the run of play 0-1, to mark this World Cup being the first since 1994, when no team won all three games in the group stages. Having already qualified for the round of 16, Brazil Coach Tite in an attempt to check his bench strength, fielded a second string team, with non of the first team players,. It still was a formidable outfit & Brazil should've won the game easily by at least 3 goals, but the Indomitable Lions keeper under the bar, Epassy was an impregnable fortress. He just did not let a single ball go past him into the net, & a couple of times the bar came to his rescue. In one of the biggest surprises of the tournament till now, Cameroon defeated Brazil 1-0. 

Meanwhile, Japan, the team from the land of the rising sun, have stunned the world with their giant killing abilities. Not fazed to be in one of the toughest groups which included the likes of Germany & Spain, they first defeated Germany 2-1 in their first game, & then surprisingly lost to an unfancied Costa Rica to throw the possibilities wide open. Most of us thought that they let go of an golden opportunity, after failing to win against Costa Rica, but the Samurai Blue warriors, managed to conjure a stunning upset by defeating fancied Spain in the last group encounter 2-1 to top the group & move into knock out stage. A fabulous result for the Asian team & a wonderful message for all who believe in their own abilities & not get fazed by heavyweights. 

South Korea's win over a more fancied Portugal will also go down as a memorable upset, that allowed the Asian team, entry into knock outs. Needing a win in their last group game, Paulo Bento's team were left with a mountain to climb, as Portugal deservingly took the lead with the first 5 minutes of the game. However, the prodigal European team were guilty of taking things for granted after the early lead & they somehow took the foot off the accelerator, allowing the hard working Koreans to ramp up. Koreans had the ball in the Portugal net within 17 minutes, but were ruled offside. Not giving up & raising the game, they levelled 10 minutes later. As the game bore on, Koreans seemed to run out of ideas, but in the dying moments of the game, an inspired Son Min's brilliant run through a maze of Portugal defenders & Chan's cool finish past the Portugal keeper, was enough to light up celebrations in the Korean's camp. They had conjured up a defeat of Portugal & eliminated Uruguay in the process. Fantastic achievement for Asian football & its future indeed. 

Morocco is another glorious story of football in this World Cup. They became the 1st African team to top a group & go to the knockouts since Nigeria in 1998, & this they achieved in a tough group that had the likes of Belgium & Croatia - nobody really gave Moroccans any chance to achieve, what they did. After a goalless draw with Croatia, a stubborn, disciplined performance against the much fancied Belgium, earned them a fabulous 2-0 victory, which led to the exit of the Red Devils. In the last game they blitzed past a feisty Canada 2-1 to qualify for the round of 16. With Achraf Hakimi, En- Nesyri, Sabiri upfront & Bono under the bar, one will have to risk everything to take this team for granted. There could be more surprise in store ahead. This African outfit is supremely fit, wiry & pacy, capable of causing more heart burns, under the able coaching of Walid Regragui. 

Statistically, England has performed the best in the group stages, with seven points, having nine goals scored & conceded just two. Southgate's team have been one of the just 5 teams staying undefeated along with Netherlands, Morocco, Croatia & USA. Remarkable feat this, when you consider upset defeats of Brazil, Argentina, France, Spain, Portugal, Uruguay, Germany & Belgium, all title contenders at the start of the campaign. Uruguay, Germany & Belgium have already been eliminated, while so called minnows in World Football Morocco, South Korea, Japan & Australia are surprise qualifiers as we head towards the knock out stages. 

As bookies are scrambling for their assessments & predictions by various panel of experts, we look with baited excitement as the business end of the tournament unfolds. Let the best team win, & let us look forward to some really fascinating football that comes to grip the World every four years. 

FIFA World Cup : Switzerland vs Serbia

On the final night of the group stages & in a nerve jangling game marred with multiple fouls & ugly spats between players, Switzerland overcame Serbia 3-2 to enter the round of 16, as runners up to Brazil on goal difference in Group G. There were a dozen yellow cards in the game, most in a World Cup match since 2010, as frayed tempers marred an otherwise entertaining & feisty game of football. 

It was Switzerland who come out of the block first scoring in the 20 minute, as Shaqiri received the ball inside the box from Sow & smashed it with his left foot into the net 1-0. This was his 5th World Cup goal & 2nd against Serbia. However, Serbia came back strong & brought scores level, as their mercurial striker Mitrovic ran in to head Tadic's cross past Swiss keeper Kobel into the net, as the game opened up on the pitch, with both teams intent on covering every inch of the ground in order to keep control. Serbia then nosed ahead in the 35th minute, when Tadic as again instrumental in an assist as his lovely pass was fired in by the big & burly Vlahovic to beat Kobel with  superb placement, as the score read 2-1 in Serbia's favour. Not to be undeterred, the Swiss combination worked as a well oiled machine, when Akanji, blocked a Serbina attack & then came up down the right flank & passed to Widmer, who stepped ahead & the fired into the Serbian box where a Waiting Embolo, tapped in to level the score 2-2. Half time whistle was a much needed breather, as the game had been frenetic till then, & both teams have looked evenly matched. 

Switzerland came out off the blocks in the 2nd half to quickly regain control, as again their well oiled machine like combination conjured. Embolo won the ball & went past a Serbian player to forward the ball to Shaqiri, who went therough the right wing to dink the ball to Vargas, who in turn flicked to Freuler, who finish cooly to give Switzerland the all important lead, 3-2. Emobol should've made it 4-2, but with just to tap in, send the ball over the net !! They however, maintained the lead till the end, through some rough passage of time & ugly scuffles between the two teams. With this win Switzerland qualify for the round of 16 as runners of of this group & will face Portugal next. Serbia go back home, staing in the bottom of the group. 

 

FIFA World Cup : Brazil vs Cameroon

 The last of the Group stage matches got over with the most unexpected results, as Brazil played against Cameroon. 

Having already sealed their place in the round of 16, Coach Tite decided to try out his bench strength by making 9 changes to his playing eleven, that came out against Switzerland. This new look team, on paper still looked formidable, with Gabriel Jesus, Martinelli & Antony in the front having the license to attack at will. Cameroon too in their ranks had Choupo-Moting & Aboubakar upfront & Mbeumo & Anguissa providing strength on the midfield flanks. They needed a big win & hope for Swiss & Serbia to draw in the other game. 

Brazil having a fantastic history against African sides in World Cup, wining all seven matches, scoring 20 odd goals, started in whirlwind fashion, as Antony, Jesus, Martinelli & Rodrygo were all over the Cameroon defense creating numerous chances, but denied scoring by Cameroon keeper Epassy, who was like a man possessed. Any thing his way was either blocked, of fisted out or collected with great confidence, leaving the Brazilian forwards frustrated again & again. Martinelli was particularly unlucky for his chances not converting in at least 3 goals. Meanwhile Cameroon too, found their touch to test the Brazilian defense, & their efforts were well covered by the backline & reserve keeper Ederson. The first half went goal less, with Brazil enjoying almost a one way traffic. 

It looked good for Brazil to win comfortably & a goal seemed round the corner for the number of attacks they had created, but somehow Cameroon held grimly, as Epassy was like a monster wall under the bar, thwarting every Brazilian moves, & then there the bar that came to the rescue of the Indomitable Lions of Africa. Tite made a few changes towards the end minutes of the game, looking for a winner, but to no avail. Meanwhile, in the injury time, beyond the normal 90 minutes, Cameroon shocked the footballing world by nosing ahead. Ngom Mbekeli burst through the right flank & fired an absolute peach of a cross into the box, & Aboubakar rose between two central defenders to head hard past a diving Ederson into the bottom corner. Cameroon 1-0 up against the mighty Brazil. Aboubakar, already on a yellow card, took off his jersey in ecstatic celebrations & was booked again to receive a red card & out of the game, but the damage had been done by then. Brazil, tried their best to level, but young rookie forwards, Pdro & Bruno mad a hash of open chances, blasting the ball over bar inside the box, where a tap in would've done the job !! A huge upset, as Brazil could not finish the group stages in a flourish of winning all three games & will certainly feel disappointed with this result. The Selecao paid the price of taking things for granted & poor finishing against a physical & determined Indomitable Lions of Africa. Cameroon would go home with their biggest scalp of victory in World Cup. Aboubakar with his red card, became the 2nd person to score & receive a red card after the illustrious Zinedin Zidane in 2006 finals. This also marked for the first time since 1994, when no side won all three games in the group stages, as Brazil were handed the most unexpected defeat by Cameroon. 

Brazil will now meet South Korea in the knock out stages. They will need to bring back their first team & the Selecao flair & not let minnows sneak into their lair. Interesting stuff ahead for sure. 

FIFA World Cup : Portugal vs South Korea

 Portugal, already assured of a place in the knock outs, played South Korea in their last group stage game, who needed nothing less than a win to qualify. Portugal, were off the block quickly, taking the lead in just 5 minutes, after Horta found the back of the net on his World Cup debut game. Dalot ran through the flanks before cutting the ball into the box & Horta shot past the keeper into the net. With no option, but to attack, South Korea got the ball into the Portugal net in the 17th minute, but Kim Jin-su was offside. They continued to press hard & were rewarded in the 27th minute, when KimYoung volleyed in from a corner, as the ball deflected onto his path, as the score got level at 1-1. Half time stayed with scores level. 

In the 2nd half, Portugal kept more possession & also pressed hard for a goal, but it was South Korea who had more purpose in their game. Around the final moments of the game, as all seemed lost for the Koreans, their mercurial forward, Son carried the ball the entire length of the field & surrounded by a sea of Portugal shirts, fed the ball to Hwang Hee-chan who cooly slotted the ball under the onrushing Diogo Costa - suddenly South Korea were back in the reckoning, as now they  were at par with Uruguay on points & goal difference, but nosed ahead, as they had scored ore goals. Fascinating results, at knife edge indeed, along with a upset win over prodigal Portugal. 

South Korea ending at 2nd spot in the group now will meet Brazil most probably in the round of 16, & they can take belief from this victory into the match. Portugal top the group & await their opponent in the knock outs, which will be Group G runners up. 

FIFA World Cup : Ghana vs Uruguay

 Ghana & Uruguay met for their last group encounter, both needing a win to ensure a place in the round of 16. The game started at a lively pace with both sides looking at domination. While Uruguay had the first look at their opponents goal, when Nunez took the ball into the box, but was denied by Partey who nicked the ball away. On the other side, Ghana's first real attack had The Latin Americans in all sorts of trouble, as Jordan sped into their box from left & his shot is taken up by Kudus who is brought down by keeper Rochet in an attempt to parry the ball away. A lengthy VAR check had the referee point to the dreaded spot, as the Uruguayans started to protest in vain. Capt Andre Ayew stepped up to take the kick, but he looked confused & his poor shot was easily saved by Rochet, as Ghana let slip a golden opportunity to go ahead in the game. Uruguay regrouped & buoyed by the save went all out in attack & in the 26th minute Their no 10, De Arrascaeta scored the 1st goal for Uruguay in this World Cup. Suarez's low shot was saved by the Ghana keeper, but Arrascaeta nodded in the ball on rebound. Minutes later he had added to his tally, as Nunez tapped the ball to Suarez & he in turn lobbed it to Arrascaeta whose low shot fizzed in, as Uruguay went up 2-0, looking good to qualify. At half time Uruguay looked good & setlled. 

2nd half was pretty much the same story, as the match progressed with both sides intent on scoring. Ghana had their moments, but poor finishing was their bane, as minutes ticked away. Just when Uruguay looked certain to qualify, news filtered in that in the other match of the Group South Korea had taken the lead against Portugal, meaning they would pip Uruguay to the 2nd spot on goal difference (more goals scored by them). Frantic football ensured, as both Ghana & Uruguay could go up with one more goal. Uruguay had the better of the exchanges, but Cavani, Suarez, Valverde et all could not get that elusive goal, as the referee blew the long whistle. With this score, both Uruguay & Ghana are eliminated. The Latin American, former champions were distraught as for the larger part of the game, they were in control of the game & won it fair & square, but with South Korea upsetting Portugal in the other game, it was curtains for Suarez & co. 

 

FIFA World Cup : Spain vs Japan

 Japan continued their giant killing spree as they defeated a much fancied Spain 2-1 in their last group match. the results meant that Japan qualified being top of the group while Spain are also through as the 2nd team, thanks to their huge win against Costa Rica earlier in the group. 

Spain took an early lead, as Morata scored in the 10th minute heading in, breathing down on the Japanese keeper to a beautiful cross on the right flank from Azpilicueta. This was Morata's 3rd goal of the tournament, making him the joint leader along with Mbappe, Valencia, Gakpo, & Rashford, all in the race for the Golden Boot. At that stage it looked curtains for Japan, as their supporters looked to rue their missed opportunity to win against Costa Rica, a game that they lost 0-1. At half time, Spanish armada was ruling the pitch, & with Germany 1-0 up against Costa Rica in the other match, it was Spain & Germany looking good to qualify to next round. Spain looked in complete command with their possession & positional play, as Japan looked hapless & out of ideas.

2nd half had a completely different story to tell, as the Samurai warriors came out all guns blazing & catching the rather complacent Spanish team by surprise. First they made a couple of important changes, & in the 48th minute, substitute Ritsu Doan, seized the ball at the edge of the box from some clumsy defending by Balde & Pau Torres & unleashed a bullet of a shot into the top corner of the net past a flailing Unai Simon, who could only get his finger tips for no avail. Before Spain could react & get out of their slumber, Japan scored again, as Doan controlled the ball in the Spanish half & square passed it to Mitoma, who then placed it to Tanaka, who in turn placed the ball in the net, as the Spanish defenders looked in horror. The referee initially ruled it as out of play, but a VAR check confirmed the goal(replays show the ball millimeters inside the goal line or was it out !!), as the ecstatic Japanese contingent & supporters went into rapturous celebrations. Spain suddenly looked completely rattled & out of ideas, as Luis Enrique tried hard to regroup his players. The swagger & poise of their game was lost. Ansu Fati & Jordi Alba were brought in to infuse spark, but the now recharged Japanese defense held firm. At this stage, on the other match, Costa Rica were leading Germany 2-1, which meant Spain were crashing out along with Germany in what seemed like a massive upset for the World Cup. In the dying moments of the game, Olmo had the Japanese keeper at his mercy but his shooting was poor as the keeper Gonda, clutched the ball gleefully. 

Eventually, Germans beat Costa Rica 4-2, in a ding dong battle, which meant that while Germans were out, Spain qualified by better goal difference. The facile 7-0 win against Costa Rica had saved them the blushes of embarrassment. 

Japan top the group & they will face Croatia in the round of 16, while Spain will meet Morocco. Close shave for Spain & hope they learn & regroup from this slip up, as now it will be knockouts. Japan can revel in glory for the giant killing feats already, having consumed Germany earlier & Spain today. 

FIFA World Cup : Costa Rica vs Germany

Germany came into this match against Costa Rica needing nothing but a win & hoping for Spain to defeat Japan in the other group match. Costa Rica on the other hand needed a win to go through as well & what a superb match it turned out to be. 

Initially Germany with their well oiled combination, were all over the Costa Rican box & within 10 mins, Gnabry put them through heading in a fantastic pass from David Raum & it looked all set for a German goal fest. Costa Rican keeper, veteran Keylor Navas was a wall under the bar thwarting the swarming German attack one after the other, & suddenly it was half time, with German surprisingly up by a solitary goal. Meanwhile on the other side, German keeper Manuel Neuer denied Fuller from levelling the score on a one to one situation. Jamal Musiala was the standout German forward, involved in almost every attack, threading through a maze of Costa Rican defenders. At this stage, with Spain leading Japan by a goal in the other match, Germans were assured of a round 16 place. Costa Rican were stating at a big defeat & history was not on their side, with just one victory against any European side in their last 11 World Cup matches.

2nd half started also started in whirlwind fashion, as Germany kept bulldozing into the opponent half, but by now the Latin American one touch football was finding their rhythm, as the burly Waston raced into the German box & headed hard which was parried desperately by Neuer, & the onrushing Yetsin Tejeda blasted the ball in between two defenders to level the score. Match on, as suddenly the German bench as well as their vociferous supporters looked worried. In the other match, nearing the hour, Japan had scored two goals within minutes to lead Spain 2-1, which meant that Japan were leading the Group & Spain at 2nd position. Germans needing more goals, with their steely intent kept pushing forward in numbers, but in a goalmouth melee, Vargas poked the ball past Neuer to put Costa Rica ahead 2-1. Suddenly, the situation had changed to Germans & Spain, staring at an exit, as at this stage Costa Rica & Japan looked good to progress. Throwing in the dice, German Coach Hansi Flick brought in Havertz & Gotze to replace David Raum & Muller. This brought quick dividends, as Havertz dinked the ball over Navas for a good flick from Fullkrug to make it 2-2. Germans came close to scoring again as Navas made a couple of outstanding saves, denying Fullkrug & Musiala. The game was now on razor edge, as both sides were pressing for victory. Havertz made it 3-2 for Germany in the 83rd minute, smashing ball into the far corner of the net from a Gnabry cross. Fullkrug then got the ball in, but VAR ruled it offside. By now the Costa Ricans looked exhausted, as Germans kept pressing harder & reward came, as Fullkrug scored in the 89th minute, with was initially ruled out offside, but a lengthy VAR check confirmed the goal, as Germans were up 4-2 now. With 10 added minutes, the game continued at a frenetic pace, but the final score remained at 4-2 for Germany, which was not enough, & both sides were eliminated. 

A huge upset, as Germans are knocked out along with Costa Rica, despite an entertaining encounter. 

A trivia - French national, Stephanie Frappart became the first woman to referee a men's World Cup match in this game, & she did so commendably, along with lines official Neuza Back(Brazil) & Karen Diaz(Mexico) on either flanks. First time in history, it was an all women team on the field to oversee the proceedings - Well done !!