“The World Cup can be like a shop window. A chance to see a snapshot of hundreds of different players in less than a month. Stars will emerge, and legends will be made. But transfers shouldn’t happen. But why? Seb Stafford-Bloor explains why signing a player based on a World Cup performance is a bad idea. Illustrated by Marco Bevilacqua.”
YouTube
“The lights going out is nothing new for Darlington supporters. Twice in the past 20 years the club has had to abandon its home in the town, while there were three spells in administration that eventually culminated in a drop of four divisions. A little over a decade has passed since those dark, dark days. On the field, things are looking up with Darlington going top of National League North on the cold December night The Athletic pays a visit. …”
The Athletic
“The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is widely regarded as one of the best sporting arenas in the world. The build was completed in 2019 at a staggering cost of £1.3 billion. But will it ever be able to recoup those costs? Abhishek Raj looks at the four main ways Spurs’ home ground can make its money back. Philippe Fenner illustrates.”
YouTube
“All eyes will be on Ligue 1 when football returns after the World Cup. Ah, wait. Hold on a second. All eyes on Ligue 1? More precisely, all eyes will be on Paris Saint-Germain. The club’s two biggest stars headlined possibly the best World Cup final ever. Given the stakes and the drama, it might have been the greatest game of football ever but soon Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé will turn their attention away from each other and onto their French league opponents as they look to torture them into submission during the club’s quest for honours in 2023. …”
The Analyst
“Who knows what to expect upon La Liga’s return? Spanish teams waved 83 players off to the World Cup – second only to the Premier League’s 126. How will that affect the players moving into the second half of the season? No fallible human could possibly know. But luckily, we’ve put the supercomputer to work, giving it one last push before it powers down for the Christmas holidays. And just like always, the machine was only too happy to oblige. We’ve got title numbers to give you, predictions for the top four and a sense of who will be spending next summer gearing up for a season in the Segunda division. …”
The Analyst
“Argentina will not go into 2023 as FIFA’s number one ranked team. Fresh off lifting the World Cup, you might expect Lionel Scaloni’s side to move top of the leaderboard but they have had to settle for second. It is Brazil — one of the sides knocked out in the quarter-final in Qatar – who have retained top spot, their only consolation from a rather forgettable fortnight. …”
The Athletic
“One goal that will always be remembered from this World Cup is Argentina’s third against Croatia in the semi-final. The way Lionel Messi bamboozled Josko Gvardiol down the right, before playing the ball back into Julian Alvarez was just marvellous. Messi’s dribbling didn’t only get him past Gvardiol, it also forced Dejan Lovren and Josip Juranovic (both dark blue) to drop deeper to close the shooting and passing angles to the onrushing Nicolas Tagliafico… ”
The Athletic
“For one hour, three minutes and 52 seconds, Angel Di Maria was the best player in the world. This was the same day that 35-year-old Lionel Messi would kiss the World Cup trophy to seal his place as the greatest footballer of all time, and his historic performance would deserve it. Kylian Mbappe, the outstanding player of the tournament, would score three goals after the 80th minute and leave not even a baguette crumb of doubt who will take over when Messi is gone. …”
The Athletic (Video)
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner. Thirty-two teams, 28 days, 64 games and they saved the best one until last. Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina lifted the trophy last night after a pulsating penalty shootout victory against France. Across the whole tournament, we had on-field drama, off-field controversy and even a half-time cameo from Chesney Hawkes. There is barely enough time to reflect and take stock of the past month before we swiftly pivot back to domestic football, but let’s take all take a minute to indulge ourselves in some numbers, shall we? Allow The Athletic to walk you through some of the data trends we have spotted in Qatar. …”
The Athletic
“In psychology, the butterfly effect describes how small, seemingly insignificant moments can have huge, unforeseen long-term effects. A butterfly flapping its wings and causing a typhoon on the other side of the world is an example. As is Brighton striker Neal Maupay accidentally inflicting a season-ending injury on Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno in June 2020 as the Premier League played out Project Restart after three months of pandemic lockdown. That paved the way for Emiliano Martinez, who had been at Arsenal for a decade but made only six league appearances for them before moving to Aston Villa, to become part of their starting XI and end up, 911 days later, lifting the World Cup with Argentina last night. …”
The Athletic
“One of the most exciting World Cup finals of all time was won on penalties by Argentina after Kylian Mbappe had scored a hat-trick to force the shootout. Argentina were coasting to victory with an hour gone with the score at 2-0 thanks to goals by Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria. But when Di Maria came off in the 64th minute the game changed, and France and Mbappe’s confidence grew and grew. … Argentina went ahead through Messi’s close-range finish but Gonzalo Montiel’s handball gave Mbappe the chance to complete his hat-trick. He went the same way with his second penalty, hard to Emiliano Martinez’s right. Martinez was Argentina’s hero in the shootout, saving a spot kick from Kingsley Coman before Aurelien Tchouameni put his effort wide. Montiel, who had given away the penalty in the 117th minute, scored the one that sealed the victory. …”
The Athletic (Video)
The Athletic: Argentina are the most tactically flexible World Cup winners we have ever seen – Michael Cox
The Analyst – Argentina 3-3 France: Debate Over as Lionel Messi Finally Wins The World Cup
SI: Argentina, Messi Win Epic World Cup Final in PKs, Overcoming Mbappe’s Hat-Trick Heroics (Video)
Guardian – Argentina 3-3 France (aet, 4-2 on pens): World Cup final player ratings
CNN: Stepping out of Maradona’s shadow. How Lionel Messi won over the hearts of all of Argentina
The Athletic: Lionel Messi doesn’t need the ball to hurt you (Video)
“In Paris, somewhere in the Louvre, in halls packed with tourists snapping selfies in front of all things beautiful and gift shop-worthy, there’s a sculpture that gets largely overlooked. Unlike the gods around it, this one is incomplete. ‘We cannot know his legendary head / with eyes like ripening fruit,’ Rainer Maria Rilke wrote of the decapitated marble torso. But the poet was fascinated by this broken, perfect body that seemed ‘suffused with brilliance from within’. He lingered on the ‘placid hips’, the shoulders, the way the stone itself ‘burst like a star’. The poem ends abruptly, with a command to the reader that is akin to a slap in the face: ‘You must change your life.’ …”
The Athletic (Video)
W – Ousmane Dembélé
“‘You know that I don’t like comparing teams between the years,’ said France head coach Didier Deschamps after their quarter-final victory over England. But on Wednesday night they became just the fifth defending champions to reach the World Cup final and the first European side to do so since Italy in 1938. If they beat Argentina on Sunday they will become the first team in 60 years (Brazil in 1962) to retain the world crown. Deschamps might not like the comparison but, given their injuries and poor form coming into the tournament, how have they adapted their tactics to reach another final? …”
The Athletic (Video)
Slate: Nobody Can Stay in Front of These Frenchmen Forever (Video)
“Four years ago, France defeated Argentina 4-3 in a genuine epic of a World Cup second-round game. It was the day Kylian Mbappe transformed from a future great into one of the world’s best — his stunning 70-yard sprint to win a penalty ended up being the defining image of his World Cup, France’s World Cup, and World Cup 2018 overall. Lionel Messi, part of a shambolic Argentina side, was peripheral. It seemed Messi’s dominance was over. After 11 years in the top three, he didn’t finish on the Ballon d’Or podium that year. Neither, in fairness, did Mbappe — although he was obviously the coming force, set to become better and better. …”
The Athletic
“When Didier Deschamps leads his France side out to face Argentina in Sunday’s World Cup final, he will be hoping to take a further big step towards becoming only the second manager to retain the trophy. Just two nations have managed to win back-to-back men’s World Cups, Italy in 1934 and 1938 and Brazil in 1958 and 1962, but with the Selecao job changing hands between successes, former Azzurri coach stands alone. Nicknamed Il Vecchio Maestro (the Old Master) in coaching circles, Pozzo was considered a visionary of the time and is credited as one of the minds behind the Metodo formation, the earliest example of the 4-3-3 we recognise today. …”
BBC
W – Vittorio Pozzo
“Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Croatia was a curious contest. Nothing much happened for the opening half hour and you were left waiting for the game to get going. Then, suddenly, it felt like game over. Two goals in a five-minute spell put Argentina in command and while Croatia have a habit of coming from behind at World Cups, they never appeared to have the necessary attacking threat to get back into this one. The tactical battle was fairly typical of this World Cup. Both sides concentrated on keeping it tight between defence and attack, conceding space both behind their defence and in front of the midfield, but never between the lines. …”
The Athletic – Michael Cox
The Athletic: Lionel Messi winning World Cup would define him but he’s already among the greatest of all (Video)
“Before Morocco’s semi-final with France, Walid Regragui made a surprise decision. Having guided Morocco further than any other African side in World Cup history with a 4-5-1 formation, he decided to start this contest with a 5-4-1. It owed much to the fitness problems of his defenders. Nayef Aguerd pulled out shortly before kick-off, Romain Saiss lasted 20 minutes, and Noussair Mazraoui didn’t make it to the second half. With concerns about the mobility of those defenders, and up against France’s speedy wingers, Regragui opted to load up on another defender. On paper, it made sense. …”
The Athletic – Michael Cox
W – Antoine Griezmann
“France withstood an impressive Morocco display to set up a World Cup final with Argentina on Sunday that pits Kylian Mbappe against his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Lionel Messi. Theo Hernandez, who came into the France side in the first game when his brother Lucas suffered a tournament-ending knee injury, scored the opening goal after just five minutes, acrobatically steering the ball past goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. …”
The Athletic
NY Times: Why Antoine Griezmann Is France’s Most Important Player
Guardian: France bring Morocco’s adventure to an end and reach World Cup final
Guardian: Antoine Griezmann’s devilment gives France the edge when it matters
The Analyst: France 2-0 Morocco: France Through to Fourth Final in Last Seven World Cups
“After the first round of games at the World Cup, an all too familiar script looked to be playing out for African football fans. Five games played, three losses, two draws and only Ghana putting the ball in the back of the net in a defeat by Portugal. Another disappointing tournament appeared to be looming for the continent that Brazil soccer great and three-time winner Pelé once declared would ‘win the World Cup before the year 2000.’ … However, as Qatar 2022 draws to a close, the outlook looks very different. Every single team from the continent went on to win a game in its group for the first time in history, two teams made it out of the group stages – a joint record – and Morocco will become the first African team to play in a World Cup semifinal. …”
CNN
“Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi starred for Argentina as they swept past Croatia to seal a place in the World Cup final. Messi opened the scoring from the spot after Alvarez was fouled by the Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic. Then Alvarez bundled his way through a scrambling Croatia defence to make it two before the break, and the two players combined for a brilliant third goal in the 69th minute. …”
The Athletic
Guardian: Inspired Lionel Messi takes Argentina past Croatia and into World Cup final
The Analyst – Argentina 3-0 Croatia: Lionel Messi is One Game From Immortality
NY Times: Lionel Messi’s World Cup Magic Continues in Argentina’s Romp Over Croatia (Video)
“Somewhere on the outskirts of Cairo in 2019, Herve Renard’s Morocco were looking to break their Africa Cup of Nations hoodoo. Since finishing as runners-up to Tunisia in the 2004 version, Morocco had only made it out of the group stage once, in 2017. In the six editions before that, they had fallen at the group stage four times, failed to qualify once and been disqualified once. In 2019, they made it to the knockout stage once more, facing Benin in the round of 16. It was a match they were expected to win, having finished top of a group containing Ivory Coast, South Africa and Namibia. …”
The Athletic (Video)
“There are times when it appears a wave of emotion, patriotic fervour and desperate longing is carrying Argentina towards another World Cup final. At other times it feels as if Lionel Messi, in the twilight years of his extraordinary career, is dragging them there single-handedly. By 12:50am local time in Lusail on Saturday morning, Messi had done all he could. It was his jaw-droppingly brilliant no-look pass, threaded between Nathan Ake’s legs, that had set up the opening goal for Nahuel Molina. It was his ice-cool penalty that had made it 2-0 on 73 minutes. …”
The Athletic (Video)
“Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic gave the standard platitudinal response after his side’s 0-0 draw against Belgium secured their place in the knockout rounds of the World Cup. But then he couldn’t help himself. ‘Josko Gvardiol is the best centre-back in the world. To play this maturely, it’s amazing. The way he plays, with the elegance he carries the ball.’ Croatia are in the World Cup semi-finals having only been in the lead for 46 minutes in the tournament. Their collective fortitude and astonishing consistency in penalty shootouts are the most frequently cited explanations, but to get away with that you also need an extremely good defence. …”
The Athletic
“Morocco’s win over Portugal to become the first African side to reach the World Cup semifinals produced some iconic images: Youssef En-Nesyri’s leap for the goal, Sofiane Boufal dancing with his mother on the touchline, manager Walid Regragui being hoisted by his players, the unbridled joy among Moroccan fans in the stands. Yet a crucial moment that enabled these scenes of euphoria came in the 84th minute, with Portugal pressing hard for an equaliser. …”
Aljazeera (Video)
W – Yassine_Bounou
Why is Morocco World Cup goalkeeper Yassine Bounou called Bono? Explaining the Atlas Lions star’s show-stopping nickname (Video)
“‘There are a handful of players you need to consider for special attention,’ England assistant coach Steve Holland said before the quarter-final against France. ‘You’d have to put (Kylian) Mbappe in that category. We need to look at trying to avoid leaving ourselves in situations where he is as devastating as we’ve seen.’ On a night when Mbappe recorded just one shot and one key pass, and failed to score or assist for the first time when starting a game at this World Cup, here is how England managed to keep him quiet… ”
The Athletic
“It’s difficult to find anyone — aside perhaps from those in neighbouring countries — who have anything other than the utmost respect for Croatia as a football nation. Their debut World Cup as an independent country was only in 1998, and yet in those seven tournaments they’ve reached the semi-finals three times. It’s remarkable for a country with a population of under four million (half that of London), and all the more remarkable considering Croatia have always been intent on playing positive, possession-based football, with a midfield based around playmakers rather than destroyers. …”
The Athletic (Video)
W – Dominik Livaković
BBC – World Cup 2022: Croatia keeper Dominik Livakovic is unlikely hero – again
Dominik Livaković stands tall as Croatia stuns Neymar and Brazil (Video)
“Georgian football hasn’t been the most recognisable location on the footballing map. Still, the recent performances from Giorgi Mamardashvili, Giorgi Chakvetadze and specifically Khvicha Kvaratskhelia have had the footballing world sit up and take notice of what Georgia is cooking over in Eastern Europe. Football in Georgia is underrated within the wider footballing community in general. The general perception about the football played within the area is a lack of quality which has meant the league has been halted in its progression, hence a lack of coverage of the league from outside the country. …”
Football Paradise
“… Harry is an exceptional centre-forward, an exceptional player full stop. I know his position and I know his mindset and I know he will put his head on the pillow on this night and the next and a few more besides and he will blink and stare at the ceiling. He will re-live his penalty over and over. He will revisit it, he will re-take it and in his mind’s eye he will convince himself that this time, he’s scoring. And I promise you, it will stay with him forever. …”
The Athletic
“More joyless carping about footballers showing emotion then, is it? Fresh from Brazilians dancing it’s now Argentinians celebrating. In fairness, it was more than just celebrating. There was plenty of aggro in it but surely the first time you saw the photo (the one at the top of this article) you didn’t think, ‘Oh that’s out of order’ but, ‘Oh I wonder what the story is there’? There’s always a backstory, although that’s not really the point here. …”
The Athletic (Video)
“Harry Kane missed an 84th-minute penalty as England were beaten 2-1 by the reigning champions France in the World Cup quarter-finals. The skied spot-kick, six minutes after Olivier Giroud had restored France’s lead, meant the game finished in 90 minutes. England captain Kane had earlier scored a penalty — and been denied one in the first half after a foul by Dayot Upamecano just outside the area. Aurelien Tchouameni put France ahead in the first half with an impressive strike from distance and Didier Deschamps’ side will now play surprise package Morocco in the semi-finals on Wednesday. …”
The Athletic (Video)
NY Times: Kane’s Miss Will Be Another Ghost to Haunt England
Guardian: Cruel on Kane but England should feel no disgrace at losing to world’s best
“‘The first ten days were soccer as it is,’ Sam Knight writes, of the World Cup, ‘rather than as you want it to be.’ Knight reflects on his time reporting in Qatar, and the highs and lows of the tournament to date. Plus, David Remnick talks with Politico’s new owner, the German media baron Mathias Döpfner, who has made a name for himself as a contrarian, fighting what he sees as partisanship fuelled by the largest media outlets. And the contributor Andrew Leland sits down with the poet John Lee Clark, whose writing on the DeafBlind experience is full of humor and life. …”
New Yorker (Audio)
“Today I feel… pretty tired. It takes a lot of energy to keep across all 56 games played so far during the World Cup. And it takes far more energy to actually play international football in a humid climate — for many of those being asked to do so, in the middle of a gruelling domestic season with just a few days’ preparation time. …”
The Athletic
“Morocco have made it to the World Cup semi-finals after defeating Portugal 1-0. Youssef En-Nesyri scored the only goal of Saturday’s game, leaping above goalkeeper Diogo Costa to power home a superb header in the 42nd minute. Cristiano Ronaldo started on the bench again, and despite coming on in the second half, was not able to help Portugal claw back an equaliser. …”
The Athletic
The Analyst: The Data Behind Morocco’s World Cup Journey and Why They Have Every Right to Believe Against Portugal
Guardian: Morocco book historic World Cup semi-final place as En-Nesyri stuns Portugal
NY Times: North Africans have their day in Astoria, Queens.
The Athletic: Cristiano Ronaldo. Yesterday’s man
“Lionel Messi produced one of the moments of the World Cup in Argentina’s win against the Netherlands, a majestic no-look reverse pass to set up Nahuel Molina for the opening goal. But that was somewhat overshadowed by a stirring fightback from Louis van Gaal’s side, who forced extra time after two very late goals by the former Burnley striker Wout Weghorst. …”
The Athletic
Guardian: Argentina edge Netherlands in shootout to win World Cup quarter-final thriller
The Athletic: Messi and Martinez criticise ‘useless’ referee after Argentina’s win over Netherlands
Aljazeera – ‘Joy, sadness’: Football unites Argentina during World Cup 2022
“Croatia progressed to the World Cup semi-finals after beating Brazil on penalties. A tense 90 minutes where clear-cut chances were few and far between meant extra time was needed, which perhaps shouldn’t have been a surprise – eight of Croatia’s last nine tournament knockout games have gone to extra time. … Having had a quiet night, Neymar delivered a passage of magical football as he played through the resolute Croatia defence before rounding Dominik Livakovic and guiding the ball into the roof of the net. …”
The Athletic
The Analyst – Croatia 1-1 Brazil: Livaković the Penalty Hero Once Again for Croatia
NPR: Croatia stuns top-ranked Brazil to advance to the World Cup semifinals
Guardian: Croatia reach World Cup semi-final as Brazil miss twice in penalty shootout
The Athletic: Neymar weeps for the end of his world – and his place in Brazil history
“One of the turning points in Harry Kane’s career came a few weeks into my first season as Tottenham manager. I had started with Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado as our two first-choice strikers — great players, senior players, and deserving of respect. Harry was only starting in the Europa League. On September 18, we played at Partizan Belgrade, but Harry struggled and we drew 0-0. Three days later, when we played West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League, I didn’t even put him on the bench. …”
The Athletic (Video)
“‘With five substitutes, you can have half of your team change during a game, so you want different options for different moments of matches and for different stages of the tournament as well,’ said England manager Gareth Southgate when announcing his squad for this World Cup. The ‘finisher’ was outlined as one of five tactical trends to watch this tournament, but how are teams having success with substitutes and who are the impact players? …”
The Athletic (Video)
“Perhaps the most nerve-shredding component in competitive football, the penalty shootout. One vs one, shooter vs keeper. It’s a simple and straight forward task, score the goal, win the game, miss and the opposition can win. But surely there is a fairer way to divide the result of a game? Seb Stafford-Bloor explores the alternatives, Henry Cooke illustrates.”
YouTube
“After an incredibly cagey 120 minutes, Morocco have beaten Spain 3-0 on penalties to reach their first World Cup quarter-final, with Achraf Hakimi scoring the winner with a sumptuous Panenka. A cushioned volley from substitute Pablo Sarabia almost won it for Spain in the last seconds of extra time. A few inches to the right and it would be Spain into the last eight, instead Morocco progress, where they’ll play the winner of tonight’s Portugal versus Switzerland tie. …”
The Athletic (Video)
The Athletic: Spain’s shootout ignominy will define Luis Enrique – a coach without a Plan B
The Athletic: Achraf Hakimi’s Panenka penalty was a rare triumph of artistry over analytics (Video)
The Athletic: Morocco didn’t fluke their way to top of their group — why Spain will struggle to infiltrate their defence
Guardian: A beautiful day for Bono and Morocco in last-16 shootout win over Spain
Guardian: Morocco fans drum out Spain to keep Africa dreaming and draw Doha as one
Goncalo Ramos scored a superb hat-trick for Portugal after replacing Cristiano Ronaldo in Fernando Santos’ starting line-up against Switzerland. … With Ronaldo dropped to the bench, Portugal played with a freedom we had not seen in their previous three matches in Qatar. The 21-year-old Benfica forward Ramos was their standout performer, opening the scoring and adding two more goals after half-time. Pepe, Ronaldo’s replacement as captain, Raphael Guerreiro and Rafael Leao were also on the scoresheet, Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji scored Switzerland’s consolation goal. …”
The Athletic
NY Times: Ronaldo’s Replacement Scores a Hat Trick in Portugal’s Romp Over Switzerland (Video)
The Athletic: Why Cristiano Ronaldo was dropped by Portugal – and what’s next for him at the World Cup
“Mexico did not seem to see it coming. As he stood by the corner flag, Argentina’s Rodrigo De Paul thought about slinging the ball into the penalty area, but then decided against it. Instead, he went short, clipping a gentle ball to Lionel Messi. Perhaps Mexico, at that point, thought Argentina was conserving possession, protecting its slender lead. Messi had other ideas. He eschewed the cross, too, choosing another short pass, this time to Enzo Fernández, on the edge of the penalty area. Fernández shimmed once, twice, and then sent a shot on a perfect parabola that took the ball beyond the reach of Mexico’s goalkeeper. The goal sealed Argentina’s win and — eventually — Mexico’s fate at this World Cup. …”
NY Times
“A rampant Brazil dominated South Korea at Stadium 974 to emphatically seal their spot in the World Cup quarter-finals. Tite’s side were full of confidence as they put four past the South Koreans in the first half, including another outrageous goal by Richarlison. There was so much to like about that third goal: Richarlison dribbling with the ball on his head, the two Brazil players involved in the build-up on the edge of the box being their centre-backs Marquinhos and Thiago Silva, and then there was their 61-year-old manager throwing shapes in the dancing celebrations. …”
The Athletic (Video)
BBC – World Cup 2022: Brazil put down the biggest marker at Qatar tournament
“The World Cup’s last 16 tie between Japan and Croatia always had the potential to be a nail-biter – and so it proved. Two dogged, ultra-competitive teams still could not be separated at the end of 120 minutes of football, resulting in the first penalty shoot-out of the 2022 finals. And it was Croatia who emerged triumphant, Dominik Livakovic emerging as the hero by making three saves and earning his country a quarter-final on Friday against Brazil or South Korea, who meet later on Monday. Here, we analyse the major talking points. …”
The Athletic
“One of Gregg Berhalter’s charms is that he can’t be bothered. Unshaven, attired in the uniform of Team Schlub, he loped along the sideline as if it were still the height of the pandemic and he was enjoying his newfound freedom from showering. Standing in the technical area opposite him was the Dutch coach, Louis van Gaal, looking very much like an uptight high-school principal eager to reprimand Berhalter for his aggressive indifference. Van Gaal is one of the most experienced and meticulous coaches in the game, wise to the ways of tournament soccer and a shrewd pragmatist. …”
The Atlantic
Jude Bellingham
“England came into this game nursing an unbeaten seven-game record against African sides in their World Cup history, although the only time they’d experienced one in the knockout stages was against Cameroon in the 1990 quarter-final, a game in which the Three Lions were largely outclassed, progressing thanks to a late pair of penalties from Gary Lineker. Senegal began 2022 by winning the African Cup of Nations and ending the same year as the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final would be a fair reflection of Aliou Cissé’s squad, even shorn of the injured Sadio Mane. England were favourites, but this is knockout football and the margins are tiny. …”
The Analyst
The Athletic – England 3-0 Senegal: Bellingham sparkles, eight World Cup scorers, Henderson sets the tone (Video)
Guardian: Jude Bellingham’s moment of cinema makes us wonder where this might go
“In the blissful early stages of his tenure with Belgium, Roberto Martinez came up with an idea. People had kept telling him the language barrier was a persistent problem in Belgian football, creating a natural divide between those from the Flemish-speaking north of the country, such as Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Kevin De Bruyne, and those whose first language is French, such as Axel Witsel and Eden Hazard. …”
The Athletic (Video)
“France are through to the World Cup quarter-finals after comfortably beating Poland 3-1. Olivier Giroud opened the scoring on the 44th minute — a goal that also made him France’s all-time top goal scorer. And then Kylian Mbappe happened. The mercurial Frenchman scored two stunning goals to give France a 3-0 lead. …”
The Athletic
The Athletic: Breaking down the brilliance of Kylian Mbappe, the man who can score any type of goal
NY Times: Mbappé and France make a statement in extending their title defense.
“… Lionel Messi could have been in the stands. He rhythmically threw his hands up in the air and sang with the fans behind the goal, as if he were one of them at the Ahmad bin Ali stadium, a smile breaking through his red beard. After a fortnight of carrying the cross on his shoulders, Argentina’s messiah appeared ecstatic and unburdened. He spent a long time after the final whistle communing with his team-mates and his people. The players doused each other in water, bouncing arm-in-arm, joining the fans in concert. …”
The Athletic (Video)
The Athletic: This is how you can stop Lionel Messi
“Lionel Messi scored on his 1,000th career appearance to put Argentina in the driving seat against Australia, and Julian Alvarez added a second, but Lionel Scaloni’s side were pushed all the way in the second half. A deflected effort by Craig Goodwin reduced the deficit and future Newcastle United player Garang Kuol forced an excellent save from the Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in the dying moments of the game. …”
The Athletic
NY Times: How Argentina Escaped Australia’s Last-Ditch Rally to Advance to Quarterfinals
Aljazeera:
Guardian: Socceroos push Argentina all the way and exit World Cup as Australian heroes
“There will be no Sadio Mane, but that does not make Senegal an easy test for England in the World Cup round of 16. Aliou Cisse’s side are reigning African champions after beating Egypt to win the Cup of Nations final back in February, went unbeaten in their six-game second round of World Cup qualifying campaign before defeating Egypt again in a play-off to get to Qatar and matched the Netherlands for more than 80 minutes in their opening match at the finals before suffering a 2-0 loss. …”
The Athletic (Video)
“The World Cup is over for the United States after losing 3-1 to the Netherlands. The USMNT went behind after just 10 minutes from a sharp Memphis Depay finish and Daley Blind scored a second just before half-time. In a game that looked increasingly comfortable for the Netherlands, the U.S. got a fortuitous goal back via Haji Wright’s heel, but that was cancelled out just five minutes later thanks to a full-back to full-back combination with Blind supplying an expert cross to Denzel Dumfries to volley home a third for the Dutch. …”
The Athletic (Video)
The Ringer: The U.S. Crashes Out of the World Cup—but There’s Reason for Optimism – Brian Phillips
The Athletic: Twenty passes, every player, one beautiful goal from the Netherlands vs the U.S.
Guardian: USA’s familiar shortcomings exposed against clinical Dutch at World Cup
NY Times: Three Dutch Goals End U.S. Run in Qatar
“You can slice and dice this nightmare a thousand ways, smother it in narrative, toss in a few dollops of socio-political allegories and hunt for a couple of details that really spoilt the taste — it was the remote base camp at the northern tip of Qatar peninsula that lost it, or the unworn One Love armband or the unnecessary pre-tournament friendly in Oman — but listening to the Germany players after the event, they all brought it back to the most basic of basics. …”
The Athletic (Video)
“As Senegal prepare to face England for the first time in international football, former Newcastle and Chelsea striker Demba Ba — who won 22 caps for the Lions of Teranga over eight years, and is one of The Athletic’s guest writers during the World Cup — breaks down how they got here and where they could hurt Gareth Southgate’s team on Sunday. ..”
The Athletic
“Ah penalties, you have to love them. Unless you lose, in which case they are the worst thing ever. There have been 30 World Cup penalty shootouts – with 279 kicks taken overall (excluding Diana Ross’ disastrous effort at USA ’94). BBC Sport and Opta have crunched the numbers to see what we could learn about maximising your chances of scoring. Your chances of scoring a penalty are much increased if you go to the right or left – but please avoid putting it down the middle. …”
BBC – World Cup 2022: How to take a penalty in a shootout (Video)
The Analyst – World Cup Penalty Shootouts: The Facts (Video)
“As Japan’s players attempted to take stock in the immediate aftermath of their 2-1 victory over Germany, they gathered close to the touchline. Arm in arm, they each looked above to one of the two big screens inside the Khalifa International Stadium. They were watching the highlights of the second half and, in video form, just how they managed to turn it around. They had achieved the best result in their nation’s footballing history. The substitutes and backroom staff joined their colleagues to form one mass huddle. They had been stood alongside manager Hajime Moriyasu in the final throes of the game, screaming and clapping furiously. …”
The Athletic (Video)
The Athletic – Germany 4-2 Costa Rica: Flick’s side crash out at group stage again, Musiala is rare bright spark
Guardian: Simón plays Spain into trouble as Japan turn World Cup upside down
“You don’t get away with much under Louis van Gaal. Not even if you’re literally the best player in the world. In 1999, during Van Gaal’s first spell as Barcelona coach, Rivaldo had just won the Ballon d’Or, partly down to his performances in Catalonia, and partly down to his performances just behind Ronaldo in the Brazil side that reached the World Cup final. Thus, Rivaldo thought he could throw his weight around a bit: he made an oblique reference to being ‘abused’ after collecting the Ballon d’Or and demanded that he play as a No 10 for his club, rather than on the left of a front three as Van Gaal’s system dictated. …”
The Athletic
“Coming into this tournament, Belgium had something of a harsh reputation as underachievers. After all, this was supposed to be Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’. And before we consider whether it was truly golden, it’s worth pointing out how clearly defined this generation is. Extraordinarily, all eight of Belgium’s all-time most-capped players were in this World Cup squad. It seems that the golden generation tag has become so over-used that neutrals now actively want those sides to fail. And if you’re really a golden generation, shouldn’t you win gold? …”
The Athletic
The Athletic: Belgium knocked out, Croatia through in second, Lukaku’s misses and misery (Video)
Guardian: Roberto Martínez exits as dreams of golden generation end with whimper
“BERLIN — The start was promising. In a WhatsApp group — under the peppy name ‘Get prepared’ — the coach of Germany’s football team, Hansi Flick, delivered a stirring motivational message to the 26 players representing the country at the World Cup. Under a picture of a lamp, his colleague added: ‘May our light shine in Qatar!’ Well, not quite. After losing to Japan, in a lackluster, anemic display, the team just about managed to draw with Spain, thanks to a late equalizer. …”
NY Times | Opinion
“March 3, 2018 will go down in history as the day that football began shifting away from everything that made the sport so special. This is the day that VAR (video assistant referee) technology was formally written into the Laws of the Game, as a means to reduce the amount of errors in decisions made by on-field referees, with the express intent of improving the game. In this respect, at least in the English Premier League, VAR has failed. The use of VAR technology does have its benefits, of course. Video reviews for offside, handball, and other incidents on the pitch do often come to the right conclusion. …”
Football Paradise
“Poland joined Argentina in the knockout stages of the World Cup despite losing 2-0 to goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez after a thrilling end to Group C. For much of the final 20 minutes, Poland were going through courtesy of a better disciplinary record than third-placed Mexico, with whom they finished level on points and goals scored, and had the same head-to-head record after drawing 0-0 in their opening game. Mexico had seven bookings in the group stage, compared to Poland’s five. …”
The Athletic
Scissors Kick 