FOOTBALL

World Cup 3rd Place Predictions: Croatia vs. Morocco

Published

1 year ago

December 16, 2022

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None of the teams wanted to be here, but now that they are, Croatia and Morocco will battle it out for third place in the World Cup on Saturday.

A day later, Argentina and France lock horns at the Lusail Iconic for the ultimate prize in international football.

Croatia, who were runner-ups in Russia four years ago, surrendered to a rampaging Argentina.

Morocco, on the other hand, put up a great fight against current holders France, but that was not enough to avoid a 2-0 defeat.

Two first-half goals decided the match’s fate when Argentina played Croatia in the first semifinal. Dominik Livaković conceded a penalty trying to stop Julián Álvarez from getting to the ball.

Lionel Messi put the ball in the top right corner before Álvarez scored a remarkable solo goal to put Argentina 2-0 ahead.

The Manchester City youngster added a second to his name after the interval when Lionel Messi left Joško Gvardiol for dead and broke into the Croatia box to set up Álvarez.

Despite being 2018 finalists and 2022 semifinalists, Croatia did not win a World Cup knockout match within regular time since 1998.

The last time they won a World Cup match after the group stages without taking it to extra time was against the Netherlands in the third-place decider of the 1998 World Cup.

Can Zlatko Dalić’s men repeat that feat this time around?

Morocco’s fabulous story at the World Cup will not get a fairytale finish after they fell short against the reigning champions in the second semifinal. But the Atlas Lions will still return to their homeland with their heads held high.

Finishing third cannot match the glory of lifting the World Cup, but it will still be a commendable achievement for the North African nation.

Walid Regragui’s side can match another World Cup record on Saturday if they manage to shut out Croatia.

They will become the only team in World Cup history, other than Spain in 2010, to keep five clean sheets in a single edition of the tournament.

Morocco have conceded in only two matches in Qatar. The first goal they conceded was an own goal by Nayef Aguerd against Canada.

France’s Theo Hernández became the first opposition player in the World Cup to score against Morocco before Randal Kolo Muani added a second late in the game.

Team News

Nayef Aguerd, Romain Saïss, and Noussair Mazraoui were in a race against time to get fit before the semifinal.

All three of them started against France, but none of them could last till the final whistle.

Aguerd was withdrawn just before kickoff, Saïss lasted 20 minutes and Mazraoui did not return to the pitch after the break. None of them are expected to feature on Saturday.

Yahia Attiyat Allah and Selim Amallah could get back to the starting XI.

Croatia also saw several casualties in their semifinal loss to Argentina.

Marcelo Brozović limped off the pitch before the hour mark and is not likely to return against Morocco.

Joško Gvardiol required injections to ignore his foot injury and start in the semifinal. Dalić might not risk him against Morocco.

Our Prediction

Both teams will be without several key members, so it’s a tough match to call.

But we expect Morocco to edge their Balkan opponents and grab the World Cup bronze. ‘

We say, Morocco 1-0 Croatia.

Date: 17 December

Kickoff: 8:30 PM IST

Venue: Khalifa International Stadium.

FOOTBALL

WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football

Published

1 month ago

March 3, 2024

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Georgina Rodriguez made a huge claim on the future of her husband and star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, in Football. In a brief interaction with a host recently, Rodriguez was asked about the time left for Cristiano to make an impact at the highest level. Georgina looked honest in her approach to the question of the host and claimed something the fans would not love to hear.

Georgina claimed that the Portugal star has maybe one year more from him at the highest level. She felt that Ronaldo might play two more years before retiring and not more than that. She was however not sure if he would play for just one or two years and added that the Al Nassr star could also play more than that.

Watch the video of Georgina Rodriguez here –

🚨🎙️| Georgina Rodriguez on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Paris Fashion Week yesterday:

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.”

(via @ArobaseGiovanny)pic.twitter.com/4dxw2j5DuC

— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) March 3, 2024

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know,” said Rodriguez in the little chat she had with the host. The video has gone viral on X and the fans have started sharing it on different platforms. Some of the fans feel that Georgina might be right, while others feel that she could be wrong, given the fitness and longevity of the star player.

Legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo

On the 5th of February, Ronaldo celebrated his 39th birthday. He is currently one of the oldest players in the world. In the past, players at this age would have retired way back. But the fitness and consistency of Ronaldo make him play the sport as long as he wishes. In his career so far, Ronaldo has won many major leagues for Portugal and league teams like Real Madrid, Al Nassr, and Manchester United.

With United, Portugal won some major leagues like the FA Cup and the Champions League. With Real Madrid, the 39-year-old won the leagues like the UCL, Copa Del Rey and La Liga. He won it three consecutive times for Real Madrid. For Portugal, Cristiano had a huge contribution to Portugal. He has the most number of appearances and goals for an international team and won the Euro 2016 with Portugal.

FOOTBALL

Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham slapped with Red Card as he argued with referee

Published

1 month ago

March 3, 2024

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Jude Bellingham shown Red Card (Image Credit: Twitter)

England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham was slapped with a Red Card during the La Liga game against Valencia. In the game, the home team, Valencia was leading by 2-0 after 30 minutes before Madrid scored in the injury time of the first half. Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Madrid while Hugo Duro (27′) and Roman Yaremchuk (30′) scored a goal each.

In the 76th minute, Junior scored an equalizer to keep the team in the game. However, in the injury time of the second half, Bellingham was given a red card as he argued with the referee against calling it a full-time before he could score. In reply, the match official decided to slap the England international with a Red Card. The team coach Carlo Ancelotti wasn’t happy with the verdict as the Three Lions player was making a pass at the time.

Jude Bellingham verbally abusing officials and other footballers at the slightest provocation needs to be talked about more. It’s embarrassing he gets applauded by Real Madrid Fans.

Mason Greenwood should’ve allowed La Liga to deal with this simp. pic.twitter.com/ixYSw6YxaC

— Herman Facundo© (@hermanfacundo_7) March 3, 2024

“I think what’s just happened is unprecedented. It’s never happened to me,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“We had possession of the ball and the match should have been finished when Valencia had the ball.

“What bothers us is the red card for Bellingham because he didn’t say anything insulting. He was frustrated of course,” said Ancelotti, adding that Bellingham had used a common English swearword when telling the referee it was a goal.

We are annoyed with Jude Bellingham’s Red Card: Carlo Ancelotti

“We were annoyed with Bellingham’s red card. He didn’t say any insults. He said in English ‘it’s a f—ing goal,’ but he was just saying what we were all thinking … [The referee] allowed play to continue. I think he made a mistake.”

“[Bellingham] was clear in what he said,” Ancelotti added. “He was quite vehement [in his reaction] but that’s normal, after what happened. It wasn’t an insult, not at all.”

FOOTBALL

PL 2023-24: MCFC vs MUFC Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI, Fantasy League Today’s Captain, Vice-Captain, and more for Manchester derby

Published

1 month ago

March 2, 2024

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Super Sunday is set to witness the Manchester Derby in the Premier League 2023-24. The match between Manchester City (MCFC) and Manchester United (MUFC) is set to take place in Etihad Stadium, the home ground of Manchester City. The two teams have had a contrasting journey in the league till now. The fortunes of City changed ever since Pep Guardiola took over the club as the manager.

While the home side are placed in the second position in the points table currently, United are in the sixth place in the points table. In their previous encounter, City hammered Luton Town by 6-2 in the FA Cup. United have shown massive improvements in the last few weeks after not having a good start to their campaign. United were involved in a thrilling game where they beat Nottingham Forrest by 1-0 in their last game.

Both teams feature some of the best players in the world. The likes of Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Marcus Rashford, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and others would be taking part in the match. Manchester City will start the match as the favourites, given their record in the ongoing league so far and the match taking place in their home. United with their improved record can challenge the home side.

MCFC vs MUFC – Match Details

Match – Manchester City (MCFC) vs Manchester United (MUFC), Premier League 2023-24

Venue – Etihad Stadium, Manchester

Date and Time – 3^rd March 2024, 21:00 IST

Live Coverage – Star Sports Network and Disney plus Hot Star

MCFC vs MUFC – Head-to-Head

Both the teams from Manchester have a rich history in the sport. they have been up against each other in 191 instances. In as many games, Manchester United have been historically the better side with 78 wins to their name. City have managed to win 60 wins, as 53 games ended in a draw. In the last five games between the two sides in the Premier League, City have won four of the five games.