Author: Barkha Roy

The five-time world champions turned on the style, dancing their way to a 4-1 World Cup round-of-16 win over South Korea on Monday at Qatar’s Stadium 974. Vinicius Jr, Neymar Jr, Richarlison, and Lucas Paqueta all scored in a dominant first half as Brazil advanced to the quarterfinals. Neymar, who had missed Brazil’s final two group games due to an ankle injury, suffered against Serbia, and Danilo returned to the starting XI for Tite, as the Selecao pursued a sixth World Cup title. Vinicius Jr wasted no time putting his side ahead, settling a cross from Raphinha that found him unmarked at the back post and…

The Croats to the World Cup quarterfinals after defeating Japan in a penalty shootout on Monday, following a hard-fought 1-1 tie in regulation time. Just before halftime, Japan took the lead at Al Janoub Stadium when Daizen Maeda pounced on a deep free-kick into the opposing penalty box. Croatia responded with a spectacular header from Ivan Perisic on 55 minutes, setting up a tense final half-hour, but neither side could find a winner inside 90 minutes or in extra time. https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1599823999227551744 Dominik Livakovic saved three penalties before Mario Pasalic scored to send Croatia to the quarterfinals, where they will face Brazil, who defeated South Korea 4-1. The game was more open…

Germany team director Oliver Bierhoff has become the first casualty of the team’s first-round World Cup exit in Qatar, agreeing to step down two years before his contract expires, the DFB announced on Tuesday. Former Germany international Bierhoff, who had been team director for the previous 18 years, was widely chastised following their second consecutive early World Cup exit. “Oliver Bierhoff has won a lot of merits for the DFB. Even if the last few tournaments lagged behind the sporting goals that had been set, he will be associated with big moments,”DFB President Bernd Neuendorf said in a statement.  Bierhoff played a…

According to reports in Brazil, Pele has been moved into ‘end-of-life care,’ as the three-time World Cup winner is no longer responding to treatment for colon cancer. The 82-year-old was taken to the hospital on Tuesday night due to concerns for his well-being and is now in palliative care. The footballing world has been waiting for word on Pele’s health after he was admitted to Albert Einstein Hospital on Tuesday with generalised swelling and decompensated heart failure. Pele’s family has attempted to assuage fears about his health, with his daughter Kely Nascimento stating on Instagram that ‘there was no emergency,’ while the…

Argentina captain Lionel Messi scored the opening goal with a sublime effort in his 1,000th career match before Julian Alvarez scored in the second half to set up a quarter-final tie against the Netherlands and knock Australia out of the tournament, as the Socceroos were unable to build on their fortuitous late goal. Despite Argentina’s firepower, Australia managed to keep the early proceedings calm, with neither side asserting dominance. However, the Socceroos’ defence was breached on 35 minutes when Messi demonstrated his undeniable talent by scoring his first goal in the World Cup knockout stage. https://twitter.com/OptaJoe/status/1599156257784442880 The Paris Saint-Germain forward…

With two first-half goals, the Dutch demonstrated their firepower, leaving the young US team with an insurmountable mountain to climb. Despite cutting the deficit in half in the second half of the game at Khalifa International Stadium, hopes of a USMNT comeback were dashed when Denzel Dumfries scored the Netherlands’ third goal, knocking Gregg Berhalter’s team out of the tournament. Concerns about the fitness of star Christian Pulisic were put to rest before the match when the Chelsea forward was named to Berhalter’s starting lineup despite being forced off injured against Iran on Tuesday. The Chelsea attacker almost put the US ahead…

According to the Express, Germany central defender Antonio Rudiger got into an argument with a teenage FIFA volunteer after his team was eliminated from the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Die Mannschaft defeated Costa Rica 4-2 in their final Group E game on Thursday, but Japan’s victory over Spain forced the 2014 world champions to withdraw from the tournament. Rudiger’s tensions erupted as he walked down the tunnel following the victory over the South American side. A teenage FIFA volunteer approached the Real Madrid centre-back and allegedly yelled at him: “Off home!” The player came to a halt and reportedly responded to…

Switzerland’s Xherdan Shaqiri scored the opening goal in Switzerland’s 3-2 Group G victory over Serbia. The former Liverpool striker smashed a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner of Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel’s net. He is now one of only three players to have scored in the last three FIFA World Cup tournaments, the other two being Lionel Messi of Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal. The Kosovo-born attacker has also scored for Switzerland in five major tournaments, including the previous two European Championships. Portugal captain Ronaldo is the only other player to have done so. https://twitter.com/livescore/status/1598800425125232640 Shaqiri’s goal against…

Brazil has received positive news regarding Neymar’s recovery from an ankle injury as the team prepares to enter the knockout stages of the 2022 FIFA World Cup later this week. The Paris Saint-Germain attacker could be on the bench for the Selecao’s round of 16 clash, reports UOL. The five-time world champions won Group G and will now take on South Korea, who finished second in Group H, on December 5. The 30-year-old suffered an injury in Brazil’s 2-0 World Cup opener against Serbia. Since then, doubts about his fitness for the rest of the tournament have crept in. Because of…

Belgium manager Roberto Martinez has confirmed that he is no longer in charge of the Red Devils following their elimination from the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The Belgians, who have won the bronze medal at the World Cup 2018, failed to advance past the group stage, finishing with only four points from three games. A narrow victory over Canada in their tournament opener had all the warning signs. After the devastating 2-0 loss to Morocco, those trademarks became even more prominent. Belgium’s qualification fate was still in their hands, as a win over Croatia would have propelled Martinez’s team to the tournament’s last 16. The…