Author: Barkha Roy

Tunisia held tournament dark horses Denmark to a pulsating 0-0 draw in their opening group game, leaving Group D wide open ahead of France’s clash with Australia later Tuesday. Jalel Kadri’s men started the game stronger, with the African side pressing the opposition high up the pitch and denying their talented midfield trio any time on the ball. They nearly got their reward as well, with Issam Jebali poking home for the visitors only to see the offside flag raised before being denied later by an excellent Kasper Schmeichel save. However, even as Denmark grew into the game, the Eagles of Carthage continued to go toe-to-toe…

Argentina, one of the 2022 World Cup favourites, suffered one of the biggest shocks of the tournament on Tuesday, as Saudi Arabia came from behind to win 2-1 in front of 88,012 fans at Lusail Stadium. La Albiceleste took a 10th-minute lead from the penalty spot thanks to Lionel Messi’s penalty kick. However, two goals early in the second half, including an outstanding strike from Salem Al-Dawsari, turned the game on its head and left the Albiceleste with little margin for error in their remaining Group C games against Mexico and Poland. https://twitter.com/sportbible/status/1595079679270166528 Argentina were on course to match Italy’s record unbeaten run of…

France’s World Cup hopes were dealt a huge blow late Saturday when Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema was ruled out of the tournament in Qatar due to an injured left thigh. The 34-year-old Real Madrid striker had been battling an injury for some time and had played less than half an hour in his club’s last six games before the tournament. For the first time since the World Cup holders gathered last week ahead of the tournament, he participated in full training on Saturday. With the injury, the Real Madrid striker was forced to withdraw from the session at Qatari champions Al…

Argentina’s hopes of ending a 36-year World Cup title drought in Qatar can be hampered by Brazil, France, and England, according to Albiceleste captain Lionel Messi. “Whenever we talk about candidates, we always talk about the same teams,” “If I have to put some above others I think Brazil, France and England are a little bit above the rest. But the World Cup is so difficult and so complicated that anything can happen.”the Paris Saint-Germain attacker said in an interview with the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL). Lionel Scaloni’s men are unbeaten in their last 35 games, which includes the Copa America final…

Manchester City has received an unexpected short-term loan offer for Erling Haaland to keep the prolific Norwegian striker busy during the World Cup break. Due to Norway’s failure to qualify for Qatar, the 22-year-old will be out until after Christmas. He will, however, have the opportunity to keep his match sharpness at non-league Ashton United. The Manchester minnows have attempted to sign one of the world’s most lethal attacking forces to help them avoid relegation from the National League North, England’s sixth tier in professional football. Credit: YouTube / Ashton UnitedTV Following Saturday’s defeat to Gainsborough Trinity, Ashton manager Michael Clegg hinted…

Edouard Mendy’s future at Chelsea is uncertain ahead of the World Cup, with the 30-year-old considering a move amid concerns that his first-team opportunities will be limited. Since his arrival from Rennes in a deal worth 22 million pounds in September 2020, the shot-stopper has been a huge success at Stamford Bridge. However, the keeper’s position as Blues’ No. 1 has been called into question following the dismissal of Thomas Tuchel and the arrival of current head coach Graham Potter. Kepa Arrizabalaga began Potter’s reign as Chelsea’s first-choice keeper while Mendy was out with a knee injury. Due to Arrizabalaga’s foot injury, Chelsea’s previous four…

Brazil coach Tite named his 26-man World Cup squad for Qatar on Monday, including 39-year-old defender Daniel Alves but leaving out Aston Villa attacker Filipe Coutinho and Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino as the five-time champions prepare for the tournament, which kicks off on November 20. https://twitter.com/ESPNFC/status/1589754577099685891 The Brazilian manager will only take four centre-backs, with Juventus’ Bremer trailing Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, and Eder Militao, and leaving out Roger Ibanez (AS Roma) and Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal). Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal was named to a list dominated by 12 English Premier League players. Flamengo forward Gabriel Barbosa, better known as Gabigol, as well as Atletico Madrid forward Matheus Cunha and Newcastle midfielder Joelinton,…

The round of 16 of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League will feature a rematch of the 2022 final between Liverpool and defending champions Real Madrid. Meanwhile, the finalists for the 2020 edition Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain will meet for the third time in four seasons after being drawn together in a blockbuster clash in the draw held in Nyon on November 7. Another high-profile matchup will pit Borussia Dortmund against 2021 champions Chelsea. Manchester City’s quest for a first UCL title will continue with a match against RB Leipzig. Tottenham and seven-time champion AC Milan will square off in an exciting match. With the 2022 World Cup set to…

Barcelona central defender Gerard Pique has announced his retirement from professional football, stating his final game will be Saturday’s match between Barcelona and Almeria at the Nou Camp. The 35-year-old, who won the Champions League three times and La Liga eight times with his boyhood club Barcelona, revealed the news in a video message posted on social media. “Football has given me everything. Barcelona has given me everything. You, culers (Barcelona fans), have given me everything. And now that [this] kid’s dreams have come true, I want to tell you that I’ve decided that now is the time to bring…

Alejandro Garnacho scored his maiden Manchester United goal, but a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad wasn’t enough to keep them from finishing second in their Europa League group and facing a play-off against a team that had dropped out of the Champions League. The Argentine gave another glimpse of his promise in just his second start for the club, following his full debut in last week’s win over Sheriff Tiraspol, with a superbly taken goal in the 17th minute at the Reala Stadium. With a perfectly weighted pass, Cristiano Ronaldo picked out the run of the 18-year-old surging inside off…