Wednesday, November 30, 2022

World Cup News: Pulisic Lifts USA; England Smothers Wales; Koulibaly Delivers Winner For Senegal; Japan Flops; Germany Stays Alive; Aging Belgium Falls to Morocco; Fernandes Shines For Portugal

Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic provided an individual moment of brilliance to lift the US into the final 16 of the World Cup. The US star sacrificed his body in colliding with Iran’s goalkeeper in a 1-0 US win which sets up a knockout match with the Netherlands on Saturday.

The US qualified second in a group which saw England take the honors after a 3-0 win over Wales which saw the Welsh manage just a single shot on target. Manchester City’s Phil Foden finally got a start for the England team and responded with a goal in his first extended outing of the tournament. Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, meanwhile, scored the other two goals for England versus Wales and his tournament total of three goals draws him even with three other players for tournament best so far.

England will face Senegal in the next round after Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly scored the winner for the Senegalese in a 2-1 victory over Ecuador. Brighton’s Moises Caicedo scored the Ecuadoran goal after Watford’s Ismaila Sarr had given Senegal an early lead. Koulibaly’s goal eliminated an Ecuador side which could have advanced with a draw.

Japan followed up its surprising opening match victory over Germany by falling flat on its face in a 1-0 defeat to Costa Rica. The Ticos had conceded seven goals to Spain before posting a clean sheet against the Blue Samurai.

Germany avoided early elimination by drawing 1-1 with Spain. The Germans are the only team in its group not to have notched a victory but will be favored in their final group match Thursday against Costa Rica with a chance yet to advance to the knockout stage.

Premier League referee Anthony Taylor was at the center of controversy as he blew the final whistle while South Korea prepared to take a corner kick at the end of a 3-2 Ghana win over the South Koreans. The apoplectic South Korean manager was assessed a red card by Taylor over his protestations.

Victorious Ghana, which got an opening goal from 23-year-old Southampton center back Mohammed Salisu, fields the youngest roster in the tournament.

Belgium, on the other hand, started seven players in their thirties in a 2-0 loss to Morocco as the country’s “Golden Generation” may be nearing the end of their trophyless run. Internal discord between members of the aging and frustrated Belgian squad made headlines after a match which damages the Belgians’ chances for advancement. Chelsea’s little used Hakim Ziyech assisted on Morocco’s second goal after having an earlier goal reversed on VAR review.

Canada scored the fastest goal of the tournament at the two-minute mark of its match with Croatia but then watched the Croatians pour four goals into the Canadian net in a 4-1 loss which eliminated the Canadians from the tournament. Canadian manager John Herdman made comments before the match which the Croatians felt were disrespectful and the European power, which finished second to France in 2018, responded by spanking the North American upstarts.

Brazil punched its ticket for the knockout round by defeating Switzerland 1-0 as Manchester United midfielder Casemiro scored the goal in a second consecutive win for the Brazilians. Portugal also advances to the next round after a 2-0 win over Uruguay. Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes continued his excellent tournament with two goals against the Uruguayans. Portugal could be a tournament dark horse with Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo joining four other Premier League players in a star-studded Portuguese starting eleven.

Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen and his Denmark teammates saw an early end to their tournament in a 1-0 loss to Australia. Australia moves to the knockout stage of the tournament for the first time since 2006.

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Saturday, November 26, 2022

World Cup News: US Stonewalls England Stars; Japan Stuns Germany; Ronaldo Makes History In Portugal Win; Courtois Saves Belgium; Spain Puts Seven Past Costa Rica; Richarlison Brace Leads Brazil

The shining stars of the Premier League were checked by an aggressive United States men’s team in a goalless draw on Friday. With an enormous talent advantage, the seasoned England team could not overcome the aggressive play of the Americans. Both sides struggled to create chances with Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic hitting the crossbar with the match’s best chance for the US.

The US finished with just one shot on goal with England putting just three attempts on target. England Manager Gareth Southgate came under criticism after the match for not employing Manchester City’s Phil Foden and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold to help open up the US defense. Neither Premier League star saw the pitch on Friday. England still appears a lock to advance absent a heavy defeat against Wales next week.

The Welsh fell 2-0 to Iran on Friday as the Iranians scored the latest winning goal in tournament history. The match was into the eighth minute of final stoppage time when Iran scored its first goal and then added a second three minutes later. The tournament is seeing extended stoppage times as officials are putting increased emphasis on recapturing lost regulation minutes. Wales played with ten men from the 86th minute onward after a red card was assessed against former Crystal Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessy. The US needs to beat the Iranians Tuesday to make it to the knockout round.

While the US draw with group favorite England was impressive, it was Japan which delivered the tournament’s second shocker when the Blue Samurai defeated Germany 2-0. Japan came from behind following Germany’s first half penalty kick by Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan. Germany was unable to convert its chances as the Germans launched 26 shots, nine of which were on target. Chelsea striker Kai Havertz had a first half goal pulled back due to an offside call against Germany.

Former Chelsea and current Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois saved a penalty kick and another former Chelsea player, Mich Batshuayi, scored the game winner in Belgium’s 1-0 win over Canada.

Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, celebrated his newly won freedom from Manchester United by becoming the first man to score in five World Cups when he scored a penalty kick in a 3-2 Portugal win over Ghana. Ronaldo’s now former Manchester United teammate Bruno Fernandes had two assists in Portugal’s win.

Spain scored the nation’s most ever goals in a World Cup match in a 7-0 rout of Costa Rica. Former Manchester City forward Ferran Torress scored twice for the Spaniards while Gavi became the youngest goal scorer at the World Cup since Brazil’s Pele.

Brazil began play in this year’s tournament with a 2-0 defeat of Serbia as Tottenham Hotspur’s Richarlison scored both goals for the Selecao. Richarlison’s second goal on a bicycle kick is perhaps the goal of the tournament to date.

Robert Lewandowski finally scored his first World Cup goal in Poland’s 2-0 win over a Saudi Arabia side which had shocked Argentina days earlier. Former Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny stopped a penalty kick in the Poland win.

France became the first club to seal their advancement to the knockout round as Kylian Mbappe scored twice in a 2-1 defeat of Denmark for France’s second consecutive group win. A Lionel Messi goal, meanwhile, helped Argentina rebound from its loss to Saudi Arabia and avoid an early tournament exit with a 2-0 win over Mexico. 


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Tuesday, November 22, 2022

World Cup News: Premier League Stars Shine in England Win, US Awaits on Friday; Messi and Argentina Shocked by Saudis; Olivier Giroud Matches Thierry Henry As France Routs Aussies; Ronaldo Steals Headlines Off The Pitch

Four different Premier League players scored and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka notched a brace as England sprinted away from Iran in a 6-2 win in their World Cup opener. Jude Bellingham, the only non-Premier League player on the England squad, opened the scoring 35 minutes in with a glancing header into the Iran net. Saka followed with the first of his goals eight minutes later and Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling added to England’s first half lead with a stoppage time goal. Saka’s second goal of the match opened second half scoring and subs Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish added to the rout. The Three Lions tallied six goals in a major tournament for only the second time in the nation’s history. A perfect day for England included one scary moment when Harry Kane took a knock on one of his oft injured ankles. Despite wearing a brace while leaving the stadium, Kane has been ruled fit for the United States on Friday by England Manger Gareth Southgate.

The Americans squandered a golden opportunity to take all three points in their match with Wales when center back Walker Zimmerman needlessly clattered into Gareth Bale in the 82nd minute. Bale’s penalty kick tied the match at 1-1 which held up as the final score as both teams tired in the final minutes.

Wales had dominated second half action after the insertion of physically imposing striker Kieffer Moore, scorer of four goals for Premier League side Bournemouth this season. Moore’s presence in the box pressured a US defense which had an easy time of things in the first half. Leeds defensive midfielder Tyler Adams and Arsenal’s backup keeper Matt Turner helped hold the invigorated Welsh attack at bay before Zimmerman’s fateful error. Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic assisted a first half US goal by Timothy Weah but was hindered by a lack of support from a thin US forward line. Norwich’s Jeff Sargent started at striker for the US and was ineffective before being substituted for Jordan Morris in the second half. Borussia Dortmund playmaker Gio Reyna was a surprising non-participant for the US and had supporters scratching their head as to whether the cause was injury or tactical on the part of US Manager Gregg Berhalter. Berhalter’s confusing post-match comments just added to the mystery. Pulisic and friends face the England juggernaut on Friday.

The tournament’s first upset was a shocker on Tuesday when Saudi Arabia came from behind to capture a 2-1 result over Lionel Messi and Argentina. Messi’s penalty had given Argentina a first half lead which was overcome by the Saudis in the first 10 minutes of second half play. Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was victimized by the Saudi goals which were the first conceded by Argentina after posting clean sheets in its most recent five matches leading into the World Cup. The loss by Argentina to 51st ranked Saudi Arabia rates among the all-time World Cup upsets such as the 1950 loss by England to the US.

Saudi Arabia sits atop its group after Poland and Mexico played to a scoreless draw. Poland’s Robert Lewandowski continued his World Cup futility when his penalty kick was saved by veteran Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa. Lewandowski has never scored in the World Cup and has a growing legacy for underperformance in big matches.

Former Arsenal and Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud, meanwhile, went through the entire 2018 World Cup for champion France without ever scoring a goal. He scored two on Tuesday in France’s 4-1 win over Australia. Giroud’s second goal of the match tied him with Thierry Henry as France’s all-time goal scorer.

All world goal scorer Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t start play for Portugal in this year’s World Cup until Thursday, but he is already making news. The Portuguese striker and Manchester United have agreed to terminate his contract with the club. The separation follows on recent explosive interviews and statements where Ronaldo's criticism of the club and Manager Eric ten Hag reached all new levels.

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