FOOTBALL

World Cup Predictions: Japan vs Costa Rica

Published

1 year ago

November 27, 2022

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The Japan camp might still be in euphoria following their fantastic opening-day victory against Germany. But the Blue Samurais will have to reproduce their brilliance on the pitch when they take on Costa Rica on Sunday afternoon.

A win for Japan will guarantee them a place in the knockout stages.

Los Ticos can’t afford to drop further points after losing 7-0 in their first match. Costa Rica will also try their best to win and keep their World Cup campaign alive.

Japan started off on the right foot as they pushed Germany back with their high press in the opening minutes of the game.

But the four time world champions composed themselves and grew into the game.

They deservingly took the lead as İlkay Gündoğan converted from the spot. Germany almost took a two-goal lead into the interval, but Kai Havertz’s goal was ruled out for offside.

Japan boss Hajime Moriyasu clearly felt that his team has lost control of the match, so he changed his tactics after the break.

He moved on from the 5-4-1 and deployed a more attacking 3-4-3. Moriyasu was rewarded for his brilliant in-game management with two second-half goals. Ritsu Doan drew the scores level before Takuma Asano dealt the lethal blow.

Japan will want to confirm their tickets to the knockout stage in the Costa Rica game as they will play their final group match against Luis Enrique’s Spain. A win will give them 100% assurance, while a draw will also edge them closer to the threshold.

Costa Rica have played against Japan five times before, but none of those matches were competitive ones.

Ahead of their first-ever meeting in the World Cup, the 2014 quarterfinalists cannot draw inspiration from their head-to-head record versus Japan as they never won against them before. Four matches ended in Japan’s favour and only once Costa Rica managed to salvage a draw.

Costa Rica’s backdrop to this game starkly contrasts their opponents. While Japan revels in the glory of beating one of the most powerful teams in the competition, Luis Fernando Suárez’s men will have to forget the horrors of a 7-0 thrashing and take the pitch to fight for survival.

But Costa Rica can look at Iran to get some belief ahead of the game.

Team Meli responded to their 6-2 loss against England with a magnificent 2-0 win over Wales to keep their knockout stage hopes alive.

The CONCACAF unit must believe they can do something similar against Japan and leave the qualification race in Group E wide open.

Right-back Hiroki Sakai could not finish the game against Germany as he picked up an injury.

So, Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu is expected to occupy the right side of the defence. However, Tomiyasu is not 100% fit either, as he could not train on Thursday. So, Hajime Moriyasu will have to wait to learn what his options are at right-back.

Takuma Asano made a strong case for himself to get more minutes as he came off the bench to score the winner.

Moriyasu might feel tempted to hand him a start against Costa Rica at the expense of Daizen Maeda.

Left-back Yuto Nagatomo was also withdrawn from the pitch because of an injury issue, but the veteran is fit to start against Costa Rica.

Costa Rica will have no injury-enforced change in their lineup. But considering their terrible start to the tournament, Luis Fernando Suárez might bring changes to the first XI.

Kendall Waston could replace Carlos Martinez if Suárez opts for reshuffling the rearguard.

Álvaro Zamora and Bryan Ruiz might get in as well. But Joel Cambell and Anthony Contreras might be trusted again to lead the attack.

Our Prediction

We expect Costa Rica to put on a more competitive performance against Japan than they did against Spain.

But it’s difficult to root for the Central Americans against a buoyant Japan side.

We believe Japan will make it two wins out of two with a 3-1 victory.

Date: 27 November

Kickoff: 3:30 PM IST

Venue: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.

FOOTBALL

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

Published

2 months 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

2 months 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

2 months 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.