Author: Barkha Roy

La Albiceleste won a dramatic 4-3 penalty shootout victory over the Netherlands on Friday to advance to the World Cup semifinals after blowing a two-goal lead in regulation time. In the shootout, Emiliano Martnez saved two attempts whule Lautaro Martinez converted the game-winning penalty. After extra time, the score was 2-2, with Lionel Messi scoring one goal and setting up another. In the 11th minute of second-half stoppage time, Oranje equalised thus taking the game to extra time. Argentina took the lead in the first half thanks to a superb assist from Messi, who threaded a delicate pass to Nahuel Molina, who slotted…

Spain has chosen Luis de la Fuente as their preferred candidate to succeed Luis Enrique as head coach of the senior men’s team. Things did not go as planned for La Roja under Enrique at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, as the team did not advance past the Round of 16. After finishing second in Group E, the 2010 world champions advanced to the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup, but they were eliminated after losing on penalties to Morocco in the knockout phase. Spain’s exit from the FIFA World Cup raised questions about Enrique’s future as head coach. These fears…

India wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik is of the opinion that batter Shreyas Iyer will the best thing in Indian cricket and try to emulate Virat Kohli’s habit of finishing games as per a report. With their batting heroics, Rohit Sharma and Iyer led India’s remarkable comeback, but Bangladesh dashed the visitors’ hopes by winning the final-over thriller at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Wednesday. Despite suffering a thumb injury in the series finale, Rohit batted brilliantly against Bangladesh. Senior gloveman Karthik praised the Indian captain, saying that batting in injury has earned him a lot of respect as a leader. He also discussed…

After David Warner’s manager James Erskine made explosive new ball tampering claims, Australian cricket legend Ian Healy revealed he was in the “dressing room that day.” On Wednesday, Warner issued a statement on Instagram revealing that he had withdrawn his efforts to overturn his leadership ban, accusing the review panel of attempting to create a “public lynching.” https://twitter.com/WisdenCricket/status/1600429811868045314 Later, Erskine stated that he believes more players were involved in the 2018 ball tampering scandal in South Africa, before referring to an incident that occurred following the 2016 Hobart Test against the Proteas. “Two senior executives were in the changing room in…

Cameroonian Football Federation president Samuel Eto’o apologised profusely after a violent altercation with a man holding a camera outside a FIFA World Cup match in Doha on Tuesday. “I would like to apologise for losing my temper and reacting in a way that does not match my personality.I apologise to the public for this unfortunate incident,” the former Barcelona, Inter Milan and Cameroon striker wrote on Twitter. After Brazil’s 4-1 win over South Korea in the tournament’s round of 16, Eto’o was seen on video walking away from Stadium 974 while posing for photos with fans. According to ESPN, he then…

Brazil’s prolific winger Vinicius Jr has revealed that Le Selecao gaffer Tite and Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti frequently speak with each other. Los Blancos have three players competing in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar for Brazil. In addition to Vinicius Jr, the four-time World Champions have Rodrygo and Eder Militao on their roster. Casemiro, a former Los Blancos player who joined Manchester United in August, is also an important member of the squad. The former Flamengo winger recently praised Ancelotti for his advice and mentoring, telling ESPN: “I talked with Ancelotti and he gave me a lot of advice to help me become a starter with Brazil.…

Luis Enrique has announced his intention to resign as Spain’s head coach. According to Media Espana journalist Manu Carreno, his replacement will be announced within the next 24 to 48 hours. Enrique’s future was called into question after La Roja was eliminated in the round of 16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup by Morocco, who won 3-0 on penalties. The 2010 world champions were eliminated in the first round of the competition on penalties for the second time in a row, having been defeated in a similar fashion by Russia four years ago. It was also a disappointing end…

Eden Hazard, who is just 31-year-old has announced he is stepping down from international football. The Real Madrid attacker captained Belgium at the ongoing World Cup in Qatar. Belgium were eliminated from the tournament in the group stages after a 1-0 win over Canada, a 2-0 loss to Morocco, and a 0-0 draw with Croatia. Hazard has now followed manager Roberto Martinez out of the team following the team’s dismal World Cup performance. He retires with 33 goals in 126 appearances for the Red Devils since his debut in 2008. “A page turns today… Thank you for your love. Thank you for…

The 2010 World Cup champions were beaten on penalty shootouts in the last 16 by advance to the quarterfinals after a 0-0 draw on Tuesday. Spain was eliminated from the World Cup on penalties for the fourth time, and the second time in a row. https://twitter.com/OptaAnalyst/status/1600173183566348288 Luis Enqirue’s side dominated possession in the first half but couldn’t break through a tenacious Moroccan defence. Nayef Aguerd headed over from close range with the best chance of the half. La Roja had more than 75% possession and completed nearly 800 passes but were unable to find a breakthrough within 90 minutes, forcing the game into extra…

SL Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos started in place of Cristiano Ronaldo and scored three goals as Portugal cruised into the World Cup quarterfinals with a 6-1 victory over Switzerland on Tuesday. Following a disagreement in their previous match, head coach Fernando Santos made the brave decision to bench Ronaldo, but the 2016 Euro winners proved to be free-scoring without him, setting up a quarterfinal clash with Morocco on Saturday. Ramos opened the scoring at the Lusail stadium with a rocket strike inside goalkeeper Yann Sommer’s near post before veteran defender Pepe became the oldest scorer in a World Cup knockout game with a thumping…