Croatia striker Nikola Kalinic refused a 2018 FIFA World Cup runners-up medal after being sent home from the tournament for declining to come on in the team’s Group D opener against Nigeria.
Kalinic failed to figure in Croatia’s World Cup campaign, which ended when they were beaten 4-2 by France in the final. He was offered a second-place medal but told Sportske Novosti. “Thanks for the medal, but I did not play in Russia.” The 30-year-old was believed to have feigned a back injury when asked to come off the bench against Nigeria and was sent home by manager Zlatko Dalic shortly after.
Croatia’s runners-up finish was one better than the third place they achieved at France 1998. They won their group over Argentina and beat Denmark, hosts Russia and England in the knockout stages on the way to their first final.
The Croatia medical staff reportedly didn’t agree with Kalinic’s self-diagnosis of a back complaint, and they and the coaching staff believed he was lying. Kalinic was sent home the day after, and Dalic said:
“During the Nigeria encounter, Kalinic was warming up and was supposed to come on in the second half.
“However, he then stated that he wasn’t ready to come on due to a back issue. The same thing happened during the Brazil friendly in England, as well as before the practice session on Sunday.
“I have calmly accepted that, and since I need my players fit and ready to play, I have made this decision.”
If Kalinic was faking his knock, he at least appears to have come to terms with his own contribution to missing out on a piece of national history, though he’ll have to live with any regret he may harbor
The Russia 2018 World Cup came to a fitting end, after a month-long feast of football with France emerging champions for the second time. They beat Croatia 4-2 in an enthralling match watched by a capacity 81,000 crowd at the colorful Luzhnaki Stadium in Moscow, Russia. Belgium finished third by beating England two 2-0 on July 14.
For the 31 days the football fiesta lasted, Russia held the world spellbound, and contrary to many fears, delivered a superlative festival of football. We commend the government and people of Russia for delivering one of the best World Cup events ever.
Before the kick-off on June 14, there were fears and palpable apprehensions about the possibility of the host country delivering a successful and hitch-free World Cup. However, until the end of the Mundial, not one untoward incident was recorded. The citizens were adequately mobilized and they provided millions of tourists and football enthusiasts that attended the event the best of Russian hospitality and culture.
The medal presentation ceremony at the end of the Mundial was particularly eventful with the presence of Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, Emmanuel Macron of France and Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic of Croatia.
It was, no doubt, the World Cup of upsets. For the first time in about 36 years, no African team qualified for the round of 16, as they crashed out at the Group stage. For the first time in recent memory, no South American side reached the semi-finals. In the annals of football, that is unprecedented.
The host country, Russia, which was the least ranked of the 32 teams at the World Cup, surprised everyone by reaching the last 8.
The tradition was upheld, however, with Germany, the defending Champions, crashing out at the Group stage. The hope that a new World Champion would emerge from Croatia was not met as they fell to France at the last hurdle. The 88-year-old history since the World Cup started, of no team ever winning the Cup with a foreign coach, was not broken.
Belgium with their Spanish import, Roberto Martinez, was the team soccer pundits projected would break the jinx, but it was not to be. They lost to eventual winners, France, 1-0 in the semi-finals, only to pick up the bronze medal as a consolation.
Apart from the long-held tradition of the World Cup rewarding great team spirit, it is also the stage to showcase individual talents and artistry. In this wise, the exploits of the 19-year-old wonder-kid, Kylian Mbappe of France, who scored the final goal of the tournament, would remain evergreen in the memory of many football fans.
Many would remember the irrepressible Peresic of Croatia and Ahmed Musa of Nigeria, too. The latter’s second goal in Nigeria’s 2-0 win against Iceland is one of the 18 goals presently being reviewed for “Goal of the Tournament.” Our 19-year-old goalkeeper, Francis Uzoho, got a good mention as the best in the U-23 category of players at the World Cup.
The Russia 2018 World Cup was the competition of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), as the technological innovation was introduced for the first time. Despite the doubts about its role in football and taking out some of the surprises and drama long associated with the sport, it largely proved to be a worthy addition with its 93 percent recorded accuracy tally. The few controversies around the VAR are perhaps understandable, given the human element and high stakes involved in every match.
Africa’s performance at this World Cup was uninspiring. This is why we hope that adequate preparations for a good outing at Qatar 2022 can start now. We must learn lessons from this one and improve in the areas of our deficiencies. For example, it has been noted that African teams lack the ability to concentrate on matches for the 90 minutes duration and concede easily from set pieces.
These are two areas that can be worked upon with the right technical input and mentality. Nigeria must resolve the crisis in its football federation in line with FIFA guidelines if we hope to remain a member of the global football family.
Although the world cup has been concluded, the effects would leave a mark in our time. News reaching us has it that 19yr old French World Cup star, Kylian Mbappe, has announced he will donate his entire Worldcup earnings.
Approximately £17,000 per game plus a £265,000 winners bonus - to the charity Premiers de Cordée, which provides free sports instruction for children with disabilities.
It was a fascinating first half and all that was missing was a goal but one came soon after the break. Although Belgium took early control of midfield with France content to sit deep and eliminate the threat of counter-attacks Hazard and De Bruyne.
But in this enthralling, albeit highly tactical rather than incident-packed match, it was once again a set-piece that proved decisive with Umtiti’s near-post header beating Marouane Fellaini from an Antoine Griezmann corner settling matters.
France reached the World Cup final, after that second-half Griezmann’s corner header from Samuel Umtiti which gave them a 1-0 win against Belgium.
Belgium enjoyed large amounts of possession but Umtiti’s goal in the 51st minute from a corner ultimately proved the difference as 1998 champions France reached their third World Cup final.
Didier Deschamps’ side will face England or Croatia in Moscow on Sunday as the French look to lift the trophy for the second time following their triumph on home soil in 1998.
Having gained the lead, France showed the defensive nous to nullify the threat from Belgium’s Eden Hazard and Kevin de Bruyne, closing out the game for a win that sent them to their second straight major tournament final, following their loss to Portugal in Euro 2016.
It had been suggested that France needed to step up a level in quality if they were to get past the Belgians and they did just that.
But the worrying factor for whoever wins Wednesday’s game in Moscow is that France still looks to have another gear to move into.
Deschamps, coach at Euro 2016 and captain of the 1998 World Cup winners, suggested as much.
“We showed character and mentality, it was very hard for us tonight. We worked hard defensively, we needed to take advantage a bit more in the counter-attacks but congratulations to my players and my staff,” he said.
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| Photo taken with slow shutter speed France's Kylian Mbappe runs with the ball during |
“Unfortunately for us, the difference was a dead-ball situation. The game was very close, very tight and it was going to be decided by a little bit of luck in front of goal,” he said.
After a two-day hiatus, the Russia 2018 World Cup resumes today with the first semifinal game between France and Belgium. The second match tomorrow will decide if England or Croatia would be the other finalist.
For the first in decades, the final four countries would not have a South American nation as all four of them are from Europe.
Here are a few more stats to usher in the 2018 World Cup semis.
1. After breaking out for the former Yugoslavia, Croatia has been to the World Cup five times (1998, 2002, 2006, 2014 and 2018). Their highest ever finish was third place at their France 98 debut.
2. France has the highest number of migrant/foreign-born players (14) in their 23 man squad.
3. Belgium is next with 8.
4. England’s last appearance at the World Cup semifinal was at Italia 90.
5. The Three Lions are ranked number 12 in the world while Croatia is ranked 30.
6. Belgium at number 3 is ranked higher than France- 7.
7. There have been 157 goals at the Russia World Cup. France 98 and Brazil 2014 are tied as the tournaments with the most goal scored.
8. England’s Harry Kane is the leading goal scorer at this tournament.
9. France's Kylian Mbappe and Antoinne Greizman both have three goals each.
10. Croatia’s last two games were settled by penalty shootouts.
11. All four coaches - Didier Deschamps (France), Roberto Martinez (Belgium), Gareth Southgate (England) and Zlatko Dalić (Croatia) are all former football players.
12. More fans are expected in the match between England and Croatia- the stadium can take 81,000 people while the St. Petersburg Stadium has a 65,000 capacity.
Although Russia made it further at this year's World Cup than most anyone expected, it was Croatia that advanced to the semifinals with a 4-3 shootout victory Saturday following a 2-2 draw.
The overachieving hosts, the lowest ranked team in the tournament at No. 70, we're trying to make it to the World Cup semifinals for the first time since the Soviet Union finished fourth at the 1966 tournament in England.
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| Croatia's Andrej Kramaric celebrates his side's opening goal during the quarterfinal match between Russia and Croatia at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Fisht Stadium, in Sochi, Russia, Saturday, July 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic) |
"I left everything on the field and unfortunately we were unlucky,"
says Russia midfielder Roman Zobnin. "We gave everything we could." At 1-1 in the penalty shootout, Russia defender Mario Fernandes missed his shot—only the second player to miss in any of the four shootouts at this year's World Cup. The teams then traded two scores each before Ivan Rakitic calmly scored the winning penalty.
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| Russia's Denis Cheryshev celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the quarterfinal match between Russia and Croatia at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Fisht Stadium, in Sochi, Russia, Saturday, July 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin) |
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| Russia's Alan Dzagoev reacts at the end of the quarterfinal match between Russia and Croatia at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Fisht Stadium, in Sochi, Russia, Saturday, July 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) |
England will play Croatia in the semifinals in Moscow on Wednesday.
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| England's Harry Maguire celebrates victory of his team over Sweden at the end of the quarterfinal match between Sweden and England at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Samara Arena, in Samara, Russia, Saturday, July 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) |
Brazil’s surprise defeat in the World Cup has stunned fans in the Lebanese capital Beirut, where football supporters have long put their hopes in the Latin American side.
“We are all Brazilian, we all love Brazil to death whatever happens,” said Ali, dressed in a skin-tight shirt, after seeing his heroes lose 2-1 to Belgium on Friday and crash out of the tournament in Russia.
The 24-year-old watched the match in the Shiite outskirts of Beirut, where Brazilian flags hang from buildings and shop windows are filled with life-size posters of players.
“A supporter who loves his team, it’s in victory but also in defeat,” said Ali, who works in deliveries for a multinational firm.
Millions of Lebanese have emigrated to Brazil since the end of the 19th century — including the family of Brazilian President Michel Temer — ensuring enduring support when it comes to football.
Haydar Baddar, 38, installed a projector on his doorstep, which attracted dozens of fans for the tie with Belgium.
Many in the male-majority crowd donned Brazil’s yellow jersey for the occasion, while families watched from their balconies as the sound of drums and vuvuzelas filled the narrow street.
“Here in our part of town we see Brazil, the neighborhoods and the streets of Brazil, and it’s like our home,” said Baddar, a shop owner with a neatly trimmed black beard.
In Beirut’s southern neighborhoods, “children play ball on the street. There’s no football ground — when the evening comes, you see them playing everywhere,” he added.
Brazil’s defeat by Belgium brings tears to the crowd, met with mocking wails from some women at the end of the street. Baddar opts for firing his pistol into the air.
With residents enduring economic woes, inadequate public services and widespread social inequality, football is a welcome distraction from daily hardships.
“We’re in a country where the situation is bad. This neighbourhood is very poor,” said unemployed Hussein Mohamed.
“Football makes you forget. When you’re suffocating, you go to the stadium and you forget,” said the 25-year-old, who explained he dropped out of school because of his obsession with football.
Mohamed rallied the neighborhood’s youth into hanging Brazilian flags along the multitude of electricity cables that fill the street.
The result is an explosion of colour, with the distinctive blue, yellow and green banner eclipsing the drab concrete buildings.
“There are more than a thousand… It’s Sao Paulo,” boasted Mohamed.
A girl cools off in a public fountain during the 2018 World Cup in Krasnodar, Russia, on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Residents of the World Cup host city of Samara are being urged to take showers in pairs because the influx of fans is putting a strain on water supplies, reporters tell Colossus Gists.
Due to heat and 'thousands of guests' in Russian city of Samara, there's a strain on water supply
The Samara Communal Systems utility company says the combination of a heat wave and "thousands of guests" have meant it's providing 10% more cold water than normal, causing water pressure to drop in some neighborhoods.
The company advises locals to "save water—take showers in pairs," adding a smiley face to its message, which came via a press release. Samara is due to host England's quarterfinal game against Sweden on Saturday.
Source
The English press and its hype. Since England started its World Cup campaign with a couple of emphatic performances against Tunisia and Panama, supporters of the Three Lions have been hoping that the World Cup trophy will head to England after their solitary win in 1966.
Their first real test came in the final match of the group stage where they were surgically dispatched by tournament favorites Belgium. That would have worried most people- Belgium was the first real opposition they would face and they came second in the contest.
The Colombia match was a chance for England to escape the misery that has plagued them for decades. A so-called tournament curse had dealt terribly with successive teams. Maradona robbed them of a chance to win in 1986 through his infamous ‘hand of God’ goal. In 1990, they lost through penalties to West Germany.
They shockingly failed to qualify for USA 94 and were eliminated by Argentina (again) in the second round through penalties (again). Portugal defeated them through penalties AGAIN at Germany 2006. They had forgettable appearances in 2010 and 2014 courtesy of shocking goalkeeping and referee error.
However, in 2018, they were hoping to get over all of this. For the first time in a long time, the England team was brimming with confidence. And why not? Harry Kane was on a roll, having come off the back of a successful league season. As a matter of fact, the team was made of hungry, talented youngsters who had a point to prove.
It was have seemed like the curse was striking again as Colombia got an equalizing goal in the last minute of regulation time after trailing England for the most part of the game. The Colombians were chomping at the bits, taking to the fight to England at every point.
Eventually, the match went into penalties, to the consternation of everybody concerned. It could go either way. Fortunately, it went England’s way, to the relief of manager Gareth Southgate – who once had the misfortune of losing his own spot kick as a player at Euro 96.
This is how much it meant to English newspapers. Click here to see how the match was reported in their media.
Now with only Sweden between England and a place in the semifinals, England are right to starting dreaming. Football may be going home!
The former Arsenal boss is working as a pundit for the tournament for beIN Sports and thinks that the populations of the nations still left in Russia will be crucial in deciding whether or not they can lift the trophy.
The likes of Germany, Spain, Argentina, and Portugal have already crashed out, and Wenger - who is still to decide on his next move after leaving Arsenal at the end of last season - knows who his favorites are now.
"My heart favorite is, of course, France," he said, unsurprisingly.
"I said many times that no country under 40 million people has won the World Cup since 1954, since after the Second World War.
"But I ask you, can you cut out Belgium? They are smaller country but they have the quality. And Croatia has the quality.
"But I would say England - nobody speaks about England but they are dangerous - Brazil or France."
Source
Mirror
A Russian man has filed for divorce after a fight with his wife over whether Lionel Messi is better than Cristiano Ronaldo. Reports have it that the couple identified as Arsen and Lyudmila, fell out when Arsen celebrated Argentina’s victory over Nigeria.
Arsen decided to pack up his things and leave when his wife, Lyudmila, continued to insist that Portuguese star, Ronaldo, was a superior talent to Messi.
It was the latest in a series of arguments about football and the relative merits of the world’s two best players.
But this time, Arsen decided that the marriage was over and the next morning, he filed for divorce at the courts of the city of Chelyabinsk in the Urals in Russia.
After telling the newspaper that the couple had fallen in love when they met in a bar whilst watching the 2002 World Cup, he said: “Since the beginning of the World Cup, she mocked Messi and said he couldn’t even score a penalty against Iceland.
“I could not contain myself and I told her what I thought about the vain Ronaldo, the Portuguese national team and all the clubs she likes.
“Then I took my belongings and left her forever.”
Source
Daily Mail UK
Every edition of the FIFA World Cup presents an opportunity to witness and experience the use of a new football. The football used for the world cup tournaments usually go through rigorous manufacturing and testing procedure. This is as a result of FIFA’s continuous commitment to ensure optimum competition conditions at every level of the game.
From the 1930 tournament where the Tiento ball was used to the 1950 edition where the Duplo T, the first ball to have the syringe valve, host countries were usually required to provide the balls which were used during the matches.
However, in 1962, the Crack Top Star was to be used in the World Cup in Chile but veteran FIFA referee Ken Aston was unimpressed with the ball provided by the Chileans for the opening match against Italy. He had to send for a European ball which was used for the second half.
Various matches during the tournament also used different balls, with rumours that most of the European teams didn't trust the locally produced balls.
And so to ensure quality control, uniformity and better visibility on monochrome TV screens, FIFA from the 1970 edition Mexico began to take responsibility for providing the match balls for its competitions, partnering with sports equipment manufacturing giant Adidas. From then till date, there have been 13 official FIFA match balls all produced by Adidas.
This time, the Russia 2018 world cup match ball is named 'Telstar 18', a design which is a reimaging of the original Telstar of 1970 World cup.
There have been 13 editions of the tournament since 1970 and below, Colossus Gists draws you a list of the names and photos of all the official match balls for the competition.
Mexico 1970 - Telstar
West Germany 1974 - Telstar Durlast
Argentina 1978 - Tango
Spain 1982 - Tango Espana
Mexico 1986 - Azteca
Italy 1990 - Etrusco Unico
USA 1994 - Questra
France 1998 - Tricolore
Korea/Japan 2002 - Fevernova
Germany 2006 - Teamgeist
South Africa 2010 - Jabulani
Brazil 2014 - Brazuca
Russia 2018 - Telstar
Edinson Cavani’s brace helped Uruguay book a place in the quarter-finals of the 2018 World Cup courtesy of a 2-1 victory over Portugal at the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi on Saturday.
The towering frontman scored standout efforts either side of half-time to cancel out a leveler from Pepe, as Oscar Tabarez’s charges turned in a memorable defensive showing to reach the last eight of the showpiece tournament.
The victory sets up a quarter-final clash with France next week, who had earlier dispatched Argentina 4-3 thanks to a match-winning performance from rising youngster Kylian Mbappe.
It took just seven minutes for Tabarez’s men to find an opener as Edinson Cavani produced a goal worthy of the world stage.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward started the move as he dropped deep to switch the ball across the pitch for Luis Suarez, who turned inside on his right to swing a ball towards the back post, where Cavani rose to flash a header past a stranded Rui Patricio.
Portugal responded by almost carving out a leveler moments later. Jose Fonte should have done better as he climbed above an isolated Ricardo Pereira before sending a tame header wide of the far post.
Portugal continued to press for parity throughout the first half, but Tabarez’s men defended with a commendable application and adroit coordination with both Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez producing standout performances at the back.
The Iberians moved the ball quicker after the break and they were rewarded with an equalizer in the 55th minute. For the first time in the game, Uruguay fell asleep at the back just as Raphael Guerreiro collected a short corner and delivered into the box, leaving Pepe to break free of his marker and power a header beyond Fernando Muslera.
Parity was to last just seven minutes, however, as Cavani soon returned to haunt the Portuguese defense with his second of the night in the 62nd minute.
Super Eagles were denied NFSC support. The Nigeria Football Supporters Club on Friday launched a stinging attack on the Nigeria Football Federation over the Super Eagles’ early exit from the Russia 2018 World Cup following their 2-1 defeat to Argentina in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday.
The group said the federation must take the blame for the World Cup ouster because “they don’t understand the politics of the game.”
Nigeria was one decision away from securing a second round ticket when the score was 1-1 but bungled it away due to inexperience.
Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo volleyed him from a Gabriel Mercado pinpoint cross to win the match in the 86th minute and send La Albiceleste, who was on the brink of suffering an early embarrassing exit from the World Cup, to the Round of 16.
The Saint Petersburg Stadium rocked throughout the clash with the two-time world champions Argentina getting large support in their fans who literarily took over the city before the game.
But a handful of Nigeria fans scattered in three corners of the plush stadium cheered on the Eagles.
The NFSC President-General Rafiu Ladipo, who spoke on behalf of the protesting supporters, called for the Federal Government to restructure football administration in the country.
“It’s too bad the Eagles are out of the World Cup, it was avoidable,” Ladipo told our correspondent.
“We came here believing we will get to the quarterfinals or semifinals, and it was possible but we gave the ticket to Argentina.
“Unfortunately we have people in the NFF who think they know everything but they don’t understand the politics of the game.
“How come FIFA gave a big football country like Nigeria only 4,500 match tickets? We saw Argentines everywhere in the stadium and everywhere in Saint Petersburg.”
The football enthusiast added,
“The NFF gave us only 200 tickets for the match. We were scattered in the corners of the stadium because we were not given a block match ticket, and that is where the politics of the game comes in.
“The Eagles were denied our support because of the situation we found ourselves. Argentina came in large numbers to support their team to victory because they have people who understand the politics of the game and encourage their supporters to storm the stadium to save the country from an early exit from the tournament.
“We must restructure Nigerian football and get rid of administrators who have nothing to offer.”
Ladipo asked the NFF to explain to Nigerians why they sponsored persons who spent time in Russia loafing about their hotels.
He said,
“The only people who came to support the Eagles are the supporters’ club members. But the NFF abandoned us and instead sponsored persons who had no business with our World Cup campaign in Russia.
“The NFF should explain what they did with the billions they got from the government.”
The club chief added,
“This is the worst NFF we have had in the history of football in the country. At USA ’94, France ’98 and 2014 World Cups we got to the second round.
“This time round we didn’t get to the second round due to bad administration of the game in the country by the current NFF.
“The players did their best and we must commend their efforts.”
Star Lager Beer continued its support for the Nigerian National team at the Super Eagles Dome in Lagos, as the squad faced Argentina in the make or mar final Group D game in Russia on Tuesday, June 26th, 2018.
The Dome hosted thousands of passionate fans in an atmosphere of exciting football, music, and games as they cheered the team all night, hoping for a positive result.
Even though the game ended in a victory for the Argentines who ended up joining Croatia from Group D in the Round of 16, viewers all over the world acknowledged the Nigerian team’s resilience, paying homage to their bravery and exciting style of play.
Moderated by sports journalist Steve Dede, the mini-studio hosted football legends Ben Iroha, Ike Shorunmu, Uche Alozie Okechukwu and Tijani Babangida as they discussed the game and analyzed the performance of the Super Eagles.
Beyond football, the much beloved DJ Neptune treated attendees at the Super Eagles Dome to an exotic mix of hit songs, with the audience singing along while enjoying the national favorite beer, Star Lager
Pop star Skales, alongside the fast-rising Slimcase, entertained music lovers with live performances which was much needed to lift spirits of fans who had come out on the evening expectant of a victory.
The Super Eagles Dome, a special football viewing and music experience center at the heart of Lagos in Surulere, boasts interesting features such as a history tunnel showcasing the glorious past of the Super Eagles on LED, along with multimedia technology in the interior which gives a 360-degree experience.
Star Lager, an iconic national premium product, brewed by Nigerian Breweries Plc, will continue to support passionate football fans with similar experiences as a strong supporter of Football and the National Football Teams.
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