FOOTBALL

World Cup Semifinal predictions: France vs Morocco

Published

2 years ago

December 14, 2022

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Morocco will look to add a new chapter to their fairytale World Cup campaign by beating France on Wednesday night and making it to the final as the first African nation.

France have reached the last four by seeing off neighbours England in the quarterfinals.

Les Bleus will keep hold of the title if they win two more games in the competition, the first of which comes against a spirited Morocco side.

The Al Bayt crowd witnessed a rare event on Saturday night as England skipper Harry Kane blazed his penalty shot well over the crossbar. So, the score remained 2-1, and France made it to the semifinals without having to play extra time football.

The Three Lions presented the biggest test for France up until now for the reigning champions, and they passed it with flying colours.

However, they might face an even fiercer challenge from the Atlas Lions, who did not yet let any opposition attackers put the ball in the back of their net.

Much of Morocco’s success in this World Cup has been built on their strong defensive core.

Walid Regragui’s men have had only 32.4% possession in the tournament, but their excellent off-the-ball movement have made them an incredibly tough team to break down.

En route to the semifinal, Morocco have drawn against Croatia and beat Belgium, Spain, and Portugal. So, it’s evident that Morocco are enjoying playing as the underdogs, and they will fancy their chances against France.

Team News

Kylian Mbappé will hope to add to his tally after having a quiet night against England, but the Paris Saint-Germain ace will have to bring his A-game to breach the most resilient defence in the tournament.

Didier Deschamps should stick with the XI that started against England, which means Olivier Giroud will partner Mbappé and Jules Koundé will keep Benjamin Pavard on the bench to continue at right back.

Theo Hernández heaved a sigh of relief after watching Harry Kane failing to convert his second penalty of the match.

Hernández had conceded the penalty by shoving Mason Mount to the ground.

Had he seen red for the challenge, France would have to line up in the semifinal without a specialist left back. But the AC Milan man will return to the starting XI against Morocco.

Walid Regragui might have to make do without Romain Saïss and Nayef Aguerd in defence.

Walid Cheddira will be a confirmed absentee, as the referee gave him his marching orders in the last minutes of the Portugal game.

However, Yahia Attiyat Allah and Jawad El Yamiq are ahead of him in the pecking order, so Regragui will not be very concerned about Cheddira’s unavailability.

Our Prediction

Morocco have made us eat our words several times in this tournament, but it’s difficult to anticipate anything but a France win in this tie.

Perhaps, we will get to see another episode of Moroccan Mayhem in Qatar, but right now, it seems likely that the defending champions will make it to the finals to meet Argentina.

We predict a 1-0 win for France.

FOOTBALL

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

Published

9 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

9 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

9 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.