Argentina captain Lionel Messi scored the opening goal with a sublime effort in his 1,000th career match before Julian Alvarez scored in the second half to set up a quarter-final tie against the Netherlands and knock Australia out of the tournament, as the Socceroos were unable to build on their fortuitous late goal. Despite Argentina’s firepower, Australia managed to keep the early proceedings calm, with neither side asserting dominance. However, the Socceroos’ defence was breached on 35 minutes when Messi demonstrated his undeniable talent by scoring his first goal in the World Cup knockout stage. The Paris Saint-Germain forward began…
Author: 1X Team
With two first-half goals, the Dutch demonstrated their firepower, leaving the young US team with an insurmountable mountain to climb. Despite cutting the deficit in half in the second half of the game at Khalifa International Stadium, hopes of a USMNT comeback were dashed when Denzel Dumfries scored the Netherlands’ third goal, knocking Gregg Berhalter’s team out of the tournament. Concerns about the fitness of star Christian Pulisic were put to rest before the match when the Chelsea forward was named to Berhalter’s starting lineup despite being forced off injured against Iran on Tuesday. The Chelsea attacker almost put the US ahead…
According to the Express, Germany central defender Antonio Rudiger got into an argument with a teenage FIFA volunteer after his team was eliminated from the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Die Mannschaft defeated Costa Rica 4-2 in their final Group E game on Thursday, but Japan’s victory over Spain forced the 2014 world champions to withdraw from the tournament. Rudiger’s tensions erupted as he walked down the tunnel following the victory over the South American side. A teenage FIFA volunteer approached the Real Madrid centre-back and allegedly yelled at him: “Off home!” The player came to a halt and reportedly responded to…
Switzerland’s Xherdan Shaqiri scored the opening goal in Switzerland’s 3-2 Group G victory over Serbia. The former Liverpool striker smashed a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner of Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel’s net. He is now one of only three players to have scored in the last three FIFA World Cup tournaments, the other two being Lionel Messi of Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal. The Kosovo-born attacker has also scored for Switzerland in five major tournaments, including the previous two European Championships. Portugal captain Ronaldo is the only other player to have done so. Shaqiri’s goal against Serbia…
Brazil has received positive news regarding Neymar’s recovery from an ankle injury as the team prepares to enter the knockout stages of the 2022 FIFA World Cup later this week. The Paris Saint-Germain attacker could be on the bench for the Selecao’s round of 16 clash, reports UOL. The five-time world champions won Group G and will now take on South Korea, who finished second in Group H, on December 5. The 30-year-old suffered an injury in Brazil’s 2-0 World Cup opener against Serbia. Since then, doubts about his fitness for the rest of the tournament have crept in. Because of…
The Asian team needed a late goal from Hwang Hee-Chan to book their tickets for the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2022 with a 2-1 win over Portugal. Their victory dashed Uruguay’s hopes, who crashed out despite a 2-0 win over Ghana in Group H. The FIFA World Cup 2022 has had one of the most memorable group stages of any international competition in recent memory and the closing day of action on Friday once again lived up to its billing. With the exception of Portugal, who had already booked their tickets in the last 16 with…
Tensions flared on the pitch given the obvious geo-political rivalry between Serbia and Switzerland, but it was the Swiss players who had the last laugh as they won 3-2 to join Brazil in the Round of 16 stage of the FIFA World Cup from Group G. Even the final set of group stage matches at the tournament in Qatar held plenty of excitement, drama, pulsating tension, and riveting action. Switzerland had the last laugh in their fierce rivalry with Serbia as they won 3-2 on the pitch to reach the knockout rounds of the World Cup for the third successive…
Bayern Munich attacker Thomas Muller has indicated that he might retire from international football after Germany crashed out of the FIFA World Cup 2022 group stage. Muller has played four World Cups and led Germany to success in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Die Mannschaft began their tournament with a major upset after they lost 2-1 to Japan despite leading in the first half. Germany were then squared off with Spain in their second match and it took a late goal from Niclas Fullkrug to take a point from that match and momentarily keep them alive in the competition. The 2014…
Belgium manager Roberto Martinez has confirmed that he is no longer in charge of the Red Devils following their elimination from the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The Belgians, who have won the bronze medal at the World Cup 2018, failed to advance past the group stage, finishing with only four points from three games. A narrow victory over Canada in their tournament opener had all the warning signs. After the devastating 2-0 loss to Morocco, those trademarks became even more prominent. Belgium’s qualification fate was still in their hands, as a win over Croatia would have propelled Martinez’s team to the tournament’s last 16. The…
German national team coach Hansi Flick is unsure whether he will continue in his position following Germany’s heartbreaking exit at the group stages of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. The former Bayern Munich manager had taken the reins of the national team in 2021, replacing his former boss Joachim Low. German football has come to a bit of a standstill at the moment. Following the highs of winning the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil after beating Argentina 1-0 in the final, Die Mannschaft have lost their way and have been quite underwhelming in international competitions. Nowhere has it been…