FOOTBALL

World Cup: Will confident Morocco upset Spain?

Published

2 years ago

December 6, 2022

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Neighbours Morocco and Spain will battle it out for a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals at the Education City Stadium on Tuesday evening.

The 2010 world champions had to stay content with a runner-up spot in Group E after dropping points in their last two group matches against Germany and Spain.

Morocco beat the odds to claim the top spot of Group F ahead of Croatia, Belgium, and Canada.

Morocco started their World Cup campaign with a goalless draw against Croatia.

The African side would regret walking away from that tie with only a point as they crafted the better chances against an uninspiring Croatia side. But Walid Regragui’s troops made no mistake in the next two matches as they dispatched Belgium and Canada comfortably to seal the Group F top spot.

Dubbed the golden generation of Morocco, the current crop of Morocco players features many talents who ply their trades in the highly competitive European leagues.

The Atlas Lions will look to harness the youthful energy and newfound confidence to write another glorious chapter in their football history.

Morocco will make it to their first-ever World Cup quarterfinal if they get the better of Spain on Monday.

Many believe that the defeat against Japan came as a blessing in disguise for Spain, as they will be playing against Morocco instead of Croatia in the round of 16.

But Spain manager Luis Enrique will be wary of the fact La Roja had to rely on a last-gasp Iago Aspas equaliser to scrape a point against Morocco four years ago in Russia when the teams came to grips in the group stages.

Enrique will feel a sense of complacency has set in after Spain began their World Cup journey emphatically.

Spain followed up their 7-0 thumping of Costa Rica with a 1-1 draw against a struggling Germany.

In their final group match, they lost to Japan. Had Costa Rica managed to hold on to their lead against Germany, Spain would have packed their bags and gone home by now.

So, Spain have little reason to believe they have an easy game awaiting them at the Education City Stadium.

Team News

Yassine Bounou returned underneath the crossbar for Morocco against Canada after missing the Belgium match because of illness.

He should expect to keep his place in the lineup against Spain.

Achraf Hakimi did not take part in full training on Saturday, but his ankle problem is not severe enough to keep him out of the game.

Sofiane Boufal, Hakim Ziyech, and Sofyan Amrabat should also get recalls, despite skipping training on Saturday.

Luis Enrique allowed Dani Olmo to take a day off after putting in a gruelling shift against Japan. César Azpilicueta also did not train on Friday, but a calf injury forced his absence.

David Raya was also nowhere to be seen in training photos.

However, the Spanish camp did not disclose why their second-choice keeper did not train.

Ferran Torres and Jordi Alba can expect to walk back into the starting XI after Nico Williams and Alejandro Balde failed to convince against the Blue Samurais.

Our Prediction

Morocco have a formidable backline and also the ability to hit Spain on the counter.

We believe the match will end goalless, but Spain’s superior squad depth will help them edge Morocco in extra time.

We believe Spain will nick a 1-0 victory after 120 minutes of football.

Date: 6 December

Kickoff: 8:30 PM IST

Venue: Education City Stadium

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.