The Indian National Football team was humbled by the United Arab Emirates in a crushing defeat on Monday, March 29. The Blue Tigers were on the end of a 6-0 loss with UAE star striker Ali Mabkhout scoring a hat-trick. Igor Stimac’s men had drawn their first friendly against Oman. UAE 6-0 India – read the scoreboard once the referee blew his whistle in the Zabeel Stadium. The Blue Tigers were heavily beaten on the night, recording their biggest reverse in more than a decade. The defeat meant India returned home without a win from their two friendly matches in…
Author: Akshat Mehrish
Akshat Mehrish
Akshat Mehrish is a football expert who has a keen interest in tactics and player recruitment aspects of the sport.
Igor Stimac’s men take over the United Arab Emirates side on March 29. Indian Football Team came from a goal down to snatch a draw against Oman in their first friendly encounter. It was the third time the sides met in the last two years, with Oman winning both the previous encounters. Nevertheless, Stimac’s men prevented the Asian giants from making it a hat-trick thanks to a spirited second-half performance. The Blue Tigers fell behind in their match against Oman in the first half, after debutant Chinglensana Singh deflected a cross past Amrinder Singh in goal. However, the young Indian…
Frank De Boer’s Netherlands recorded their first win of the campaign by beating Latvia 2-0. Croatia returned to winning ways, Turkey continued their fine run, but Portugal surrendered a two-goal lead against Serbia. A 4-2 defeat to Turkey saw the Netherlands begin their campaign on a sour note. The Dutchmen were beaten on the night courtesy of a hat-trick by Burak Yilmaz, despite staging a second-half fightback. De Boer named much of the same starting eleven against Latvia as he did against Turkey. However, the result this time was positive, with Oranje beating their opponents 2-0. The Netherlands went close on several…
Portugal and Serbia played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in their latest World Cup qualifier. Cristiano Ronaldo thought he had won his side the match with a late strike. However, the goal did not stand despite the defender clearing the ball from behind the goal-line. Euro 2016 winners were held to a draw by Serbia in their World Cup 2022 qualification match. Ronaldo and Co had raced on to a two-goal lead, thanks to teammate Diogo Jota’s brace. Dragan Stojković’s side reduced the deficit first through a historic Aleksandar Mitrovic strike and then levelled the match through Filip Kostic. There…
U21 Euro 2019 winners Spain were in action against Italy while Germany took on the Netherlands. Spain 1-2 Italy – wasn’t the scoreline when the two teams met in their U21 Euros encounter but rather the number of red cards accumulated. The heavyweight clash had a fiery end, with the referee sending off three players within the space of a minute. Spain were much the better side in this one – recording a higher percentage of possession, number of shots, and shots on target. Italy sat back for most of the encounter and could only muster four attempts at the…
Germany will be looking to build upon a positive result in their opening 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier when they face Romania. Joachim Low’s men recorded an easy 3-0 win in their first match, launching their campaign to retain the World Cup next year in Qatar. Romania, meanwhile, won their first match 3-2 against North Macedonia. Low’s side will be looking to go ‘two in two’ when they face Romania in their second FIFA World Cup qualifier. Die Mannschaft registered an easy three-nil win in their opening match against Iceland with Leon Goretzka, Kai Havertz, and Ilkay Gundogan bagging the goals. Goreztka…
Talks regarding a European Super League have been a cause for concern for UEFA, with the potential of hurting the Champions League. However, the European body is set to counter the proposal by restructuring the competition. A report by Matt Slater of The Athletic states that UEFA is set to approve the proposal to restructure the Champions League on March 31, 2021. The new format will see Europe’s premier competition follow a ‘Swiss model’ – largely used in chess tournaments. Meanwhile, as part of the restructuring, the slots in the final tournament will be increased from 32 to 36. The…
Gokulam Kerala are among the teams in contention for the I-League title on the competition’s final day. The Kerala-based side are one of three hoping to be crowned champions once the proceedings are over. Vincenzo Alberto Annese, the head coach of Gokulam Kerala, has declared that should his side win the I-League title, they will do so by playing his attacking football. Italian told ESPN he has tried to instil the same mindset in his players from the beginning of his spell. From day one, I have told everyone that I’m not happy if I don’t see goals during the…
The Blues are on the lookout for a new striker, despite signing Timo Werner and Kai Havertz last summer. The attacking pair have had their struggles in England, and the club’s board members are looking to bring in a new forward to solve their issues. Thomas Tuchel has transformed Chelsea since he arrived at the club. The team is more defensively robust at the moment. However, they continue to face troubles in front of the goal. Timo Werner is having problems finding the net, despite being Chelsea’s highest goal-contributor this season. Kai Havertz is just starting to hit form, Olivier…
Liga MX chairman Mikel Arriola has spoken about the challenge of bringing Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to North America. His comments come in the wake of a proposal to club together with the Mexican league with Major League Soccer – the premier division in the United States of America. Arriola stated in an interview with ESPN that the joint league would be among the best in the world. The next logical step would then be to attract some of the biggest stars in world football, including the ageing but still influential – Messi and Ronaldo. We would be one…