International Champions Cup: Match Update 3

Arsenal's youngster Emil Rowe scores against Atlético Madrid.

     The International Champions Cup friendlies are ongoing, and have showcased more goals, tense moments and drama, as teams go on to play their second matches, and some make their maiden appearance.

     Atlético Madrid and Arsenal faced off on Thursday night, with Madrid winning on penalties, in what was more an Arsenal-sided match. But Atlético were backed up by their world-class keeper, Jan Oblak, who made some great saves in the first half, and took the lead at 40' with Luciano Vietto. Arsenal equalised shortly, with the youngster Emil Smith Rowe netting one from long range at 46'. The penalty shootout saw many misses, and Atlético won 3-1.

      Arsenal's next match against Paris Saint-Germain saw many goals, as new captain Mesut Özil shone after resigning from Germany. Özil netted at 13', the only goal in the first half. PSG equalised at 60' with a penalty by Nkunku, but Arsenal opened fire as Lacazette scored at 67' and 71', while Rob Holding added a fourth at 87'. Nketiah's penalty in stoppage time ended the match as 5-1 for Arsenal.

      Benfica's second match of the tournament came against Juventus, which was also decided on penalties when the score ended 1-1 after extra time. Álex Grimaldo scored for Benfica at 65' from a free kick, and Luca Clemenza equalised at 84' with a spectacular long shot. Penalties were quick, and ended in favour of Juventus at 4-2, when Oliveira and Felix missed theirs.

        Chelsea vs Inter Milan was a great show of talent, and was another match decided on penalties. Chelsea' Alvaro Morata scored at 4', but was offside. Another chance was missed by him at 8', but the ball went to Pedro, who scored the opener. Inter equalised in the second half at 49', when Icardi, being un-selfish, gave the ball to Gagliardini, who shot it home. Extra time ended 1-1, and penalties went in favour of Chelsea 5-4.

      Liverpool hammered Manchester United at Ann Arbor, winning 4-1 in normal time. Sadio Mané opened for Liverpool with a penalty at 28', but was equalised shortly at 31' by Andreas Pereira. Liverpool then got on adrenaline, as Sturridge scored at 66', Sheyi Ojo took the second penalty and scored at 74', and new signing Xherdan Shaqiri added the fourth at 82'.

       The other team from Manchester, Man City, got a win against Bayern Munich from a spectacular comeback, as Bernardo Silva shined for the Premiere League Champions. Bayern opened first, Shabani at 15' and Arjen Robben at 24'. Then Silva scored at 45+1', Nmecha equalised at 51' and Silva added a third at 70' to seal a win for the Sky Blues.

       Barcelona played their first match against Tottenham, and won on penalties after a great normal-time match. Moroccan Munir El Haddidi and Brazilian Arthur Melo opened for Barça at 15' and 29' respectively, but the Spurs equalised with star Heung-Min Son at 73' and N'koudou at 75'. Penalties were won by Barcelona as 5-3, who bagged their first win in this tournament.

       

International Champions Cup: Match Update 2

Mo Salah celebrates his goal against Man Ciy.

    There had been more drama at the International Champions Cup 2018, including Dortmund's loss on penalties to Benfica, Mohamed Salah's return to club football with Liverpool and Champions Trophy semi-finalists AS Roma being hammered by The Spurs.

       
     The match between Juventus and Bayern Munich was looked forward to by Ronaldo fans, hoping to see him in action for the first time since signing for the Italian club. But Ronaldo did not appear in the lineup, nor on the bench. Nevertheless, Juventus beat Munich 2-0, both goals by Andrea Favilli. Munich actually dominated the match, having 69% possession, 696 passes, 91% of those completed and more shots and corners than their opposition. They failed to net the ball, however, and lost to the Serie A champions.

       The next match, Borussia Dortmund vs Benfica, ended in surprise as the Portuguese club beat the German Giant on penalties. At the end of extra time, the score was 2-2, with two goals from Maximilian Philipp for Dortmund, while  André Almeida and Alfa Semedo netted two for Benfica. Penalties ended 3-4, as Benfica won their first match of this tournament, while Dortmund's winning streak over Man City and Liverpool was broken and their last match played.

       Liverpool's match against Manchester City saw some drama and action, as the score ended as 2-1 for Liverpool. City's Leroy Sané scored first, but Mo Salah equalised 6 minutes later and Sadio Mané added the winner in stoppage time on a penalty. Both teams were almost equal in stats, with Liverpool having a slight edge over the Premiere League Champions. This was Salah's first appearance for the club, after the disappointing World Cup, and Liverpool's first win in this tournament. City have lost both their matches so far, and should look to improve upon winning the Premiere League.

       AS Roma and Tottenham's clash in the Qualcomm Stadium featured goals and a glorious comeback from the Spurs. Patrik Schick scored 3 minutes in, but Tottenham's Fernando Llorente equalised shortly at 9' and scored again at 18', while Lucas Moura scored at 28' and 44', with no goals in the second half. the match ended 1-4 for Roma, who had a great time in the Champions League, but are not so great here.

       AC Milan played Manchester United in Passadena, the match being decided on penalties when extra time ended 1-1 with Alexis Sánchez's goal at 12' and Suso's equaliser at 15'. Penalties went further than the normal 5 and ended 8-9 for Milan, who had better stats in the match, while United bagged their first win of the tournament.

International Champions Cup: Match Update 1

Mario Gotze scores the only goal in the match against Manchester City.

       Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, the two German Giants, secured first-match wins over Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City respectively, on the first day of the International Champions Cup. 

       
       Pep Guardiola was looking forward to a good start in the pre-season friendlies, having brought in Riyad Mahrez from Leicester. Dortmund, however, were more experienced and proved quiet a challenge for a young Man City. City pushed high in the start, made some shots on goal but couldn't bag one in. The 28ᵗᑋ minute saw a foul by Zinchenko on Pulisic, which resulted in a penalty, taken by Mario Götze, who put Dortmund up front with a hard strike. After that, Dortmund started pressing and almost made it 2-0 many times. Mahrez took two free kicks, one saved by Hitz and the other shot wide. City lost their first match of the pre-season Cup, and will look to adapt and improve, while Dortmund are off to a great start.

     Bayern Munich, on the other hand, eased past Paris Saint-Germain, who recentyl signed world-class goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon for free after his contract end with Juventus.  PSG dominated the first half, and scored with Weah as the clock showed 30', having missed two header chances and a half-open goal, while Buffon defended the post very well. The second half saw more action, as Buffon and the PSG defence denied many chances in the first 15 minutes. But a 60ᵗʰ minute header by Bayern centre-back Martinez leveled the playfield again. Buffon's substitution at 65' may have cost PSG the game, as Renato Sanches netted another goal for Bayern from a 30 yard free kick 2 minutes later. After that, it was Bayern's game, who finished with a 3ʳᵈ goal from Descamps and bagged the win, while PSG headed home with a defeat.        

       

       

International Champions Cup starts today

    The 2018 edition of the International Champions Cup will start today, with the opening fixture between Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund. This is a tournament in which club teams from Europe play friendlies against each other to warm up before the start of the season in August.

       This is the sixth edition and will feature 18 teams from UEFA: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Lyon, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, Roma, Benfica, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Originally, 22 venues were announced but were later increased to 23. Of these, 15 are in the USA, 7 in Europe and 1 in Singapore. Matches will be played from 20 July to 11 August. FC Barcelona are the defending champions, having won it last year by defeating Manchester City in the final.

       The tournament is played in a table format, with the team finishing top being crowned champion. Each team will play 3 matches, except Benfica who will play only 2. 

Recent confirmed transfers (21-July-18)

• Gianluigi Buffon:          Juventus → Paris SG
• Riyad Mahrez:              Leicester → Man City
• Cristiano Ronaldo:        Real Madrid → Juventus
• Xherdan Shaqiri:          Stoke City → Liverpool
• Fernando Torres:         Atl Madrid → Sagan Tosu
• Yves Bissouma:            Lille → Brighton
• David Button:               Fulham → Brighton
• Sokratis:                      Borussia D → Arsenal
• Paulinho:                     Barcelona → Guangzhou
• Nigel de Jong:              Mainz → Al Ahli
• Harry Wilson:               Liverpool → Derby
• Achraf Hakimi:             Real Madrid → Borussia D
• Daley Blind:                 Man United → Ajax
• Wahbi Khazri:              Sunderland → St Etienne
• Erik Durm:                   Borussia D → Huddersfield
• Kenedy:                       Chelsea → Newcastle
• Alisson Becker:            Roma → Liverpool

France win the World Cup as Croatia come short in a spectacular Final

France lift the World Cup Trophy for the second time after 1998.

     France have proven to be the best in the world as they beat Croatia 4-2 in a nerve-wrecking and action-packed match showcasing many amazing goals. Les Bleus were too overpowered for Croatia, but the latter put up a good fight and did not give up till the end.

       At the start of the match, Croatia looked more dominant, having had more possession and a few shots on goal. France gained back some momentum and were awarded a free kick outside the Croatian penalty box at 16', which was taken by Griezmann. He whipped a cross-ball in the goal's direction and the ball grazed Mandžukić's head and went in, which was awarded as an own goal to France. Croatia looked tense but collected, as they are masters at comebacks. Sure enough, 10 minutes later, a series of headers led the ball to Perišić, who set it up onto his left foot and shot home an equaliser. 7 minutes later, France were awarded a penalty after Perišić committed a hand-ball. Griezmann shot to his left and scored the second goal for France. The rest of the half went in oscillating play as both teams kept trying on goal. At half-time, the score was 2-1.

       The second-half started with Croatia attacking again but failing. France took the ball and tried to create some chances, and their 3ʳᵈ goal came when the clock showed 58'. Paul Pogba got the ball outside the penalty area and shot, but was blocked, so he shot again and scored an amazing goal. 6 minutes later, Mbappe added another as he shot long into the bottom corner and became the second teenager to score in a World Cup Final after Pelé in 1958. 4 minutes later, a mistake by Hugo Lloris led to Croatia's second goal, this time by Mandžukić. After that, it was just a haze of attacks and tries on goal for France, and the final whistle could not have been more welcome, as Didier Deschamps once again lifted the World Cup Trophy for France.

Croatia last hurdle for France to win the World Cup

       

France and Croatia face each other at the final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup

       This is it folks. Les Bleus will face the Vatreni in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final. France have looked calm and collected throughout the tournament and will certainly need that attitude to win this, but Croatia have also surprised everyone with their tactical intelligence and have been one of the surprises of this World Cup. Both teams are capable of winning, but only one will be the eventual champion. 

       France have much talent; Kylian Mbappe the best example; experience, and better statistics than Croatia in this edition. They have not lost a single game, drawn once, and have scored 10 goals. None of their knockout matches have required extra time. They tend to carry the ball forward and look at Mbappe as their key player. They have an excellent keeper, Hugo Lloris, who doubles as their captain, and has 112 caps for France. The attack is loaded with star players like Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, Ousmane Dembele, and of course Mbappe. Defense is also good, with Benjamin Pavard and Samuel Umtiti the key men. Midfield is also experienced and Paul Pogba, N'golo Kante and Blaise Matuidi will provide the backbone of this team in the Final.

       Croatia are no less and boast an outstanding midfield that has proven quiet successful due to tactical preferences. They can put up a fight for the title and may very well beat France, but that would need extraordinary thinking and hard-work. Midfielders Ivan Rakitić and captain Luka Modrić have gathered experience from their respective clubs, and with Marcelo Brozović as a defensive-midfielder, they can flourish with their attacking abilities. Mario Mandžukić in the attack is deadly, paired with attacking-midfielder Ivan Perišić, who has scored twice in this tournament. Ivan Strinić, Domagoj Vida, Dejan Lovren and Šime Vrsaljko in the back will provide support to the midfield.

Match Info:

Match Starts: 20:00 (Pakistan Standard Time)

Venue: Spartak Stadium, Moscow (Capacity: 81,000)

Belgium get past England to finish 3rd

Thomas Meunier celebrates after his goal against England.

     After the Wednesday night match between Croatia and England, all eyes were set on the latter and Belgium as they aimed for third-place; Belgium's best ever finish and England best ever finish after their tournament win in 1966. The Red Devils' dreams came true when they outclassed England yet again, beating them 2-0 and clinching third-place, their best ever finish at a World Cup. Meanwhile, England's young team was sent home with nothing but pride and applause, because even though they finished fourth, they left a good trail of brilliance for such a team.

       Belgium took the lead early, from 4 minutes on the clock, when Nacer Chadli whipped in a cross for Thomas Meunier, who stuck out his foot to score the 15ᵗʰ goal for the Red Devils at this tournament. At 15' mark, England had had 2 shots on goal, the same as they managed in the entire 120 minutes against Croatia. Belgium take 3 more shots on goal, each resulting in failure. As the clock showed 23', Raheem Sterling set up a ball for captain Kane, who shot it past the sidebar. Belgian keeper Courtois mades a couple of amazing stops and denied England an equaliser. At the end of first half, the score was 1-0 for Belgium.

       The second half started with two substitutions by Southgate and a change in tactics. Belgium, however having less possession, made many chances for goal but couldn't add another soon. The 70ᵗʰ minute saw the best chance England had in the game. Eric Dier showed some brilliance as he slipped past Belgium's defense with the help of Marcus Rashford and flicked the ball over Courtois. Toby Alderwiereld made a spectacular goal-line clearance to deny England any goals. Ten minutes later, Belgium showed their incredible passing skills and went from their box to the opposition box in just 10 seconds. Vertonghen passed long to Hazard, Hazard to Mertens, Mertens to de Bruyne, back and forth till they reached the penalty box. Mertens crossed to Meunier who would have scored the goal of the tournament had it not been a block from Pickford. But 2 minutes later, their second goal came when de Bruyne passed the ball to Hazard who quickly went past the defense and netted the ball in the bottom-left corner. The match ended 0-2, England in despair for being so close to winning, while Belgium celebrated their best finish in World Cup history.

Extras in brief from the FIFA World Cup 2018

• English FA fined £50,000 for unauthorised socks: The Football Association (FA) has been fined 70,000 Swiss francs (£50,000) by FIFA after footballers Dele Alli, Raheem Sterling and Eric Dier wore branded ankle-support socks instead of official Nike socks, ignoring a warning by FIFA to stop. The fine was made for "breaching media and marketing regulations and the FIFA equipment regulations". The fine was made following England's quarter-final win over Sweden, who were also fined for a similar offence earlier in the tournament. 

• Criticism over Kenyan MPs' trip to World Cup: 20 Kenyan Members of Parliament have made a trip to Russia to watch the World Cup at the taxpayers' expense, which sparked outrage from the Kenyan public. The MPs will watch 4 games, including the Final, in a 2-week trip to Russia estimated to be costing thousands of US Dollars. The Kenyan sports minister Rashid Echesa said that he had "authorised only 6 MPs to travel to Russia, to help understand how to organise such big events". Kenya is a leading country in terms of athletics, and has posted a bid for the 2023 World Athletics Championship. But many Kenyans thought the trip was a waste of money in a country where the average person lives on $150 per month. 

• Tearful but proud, fans applaud England: The Hyde Park in London became a heaven for the England fans as Kieran Trippier's early goal put England in the lead. The wave of elation, however, did not last as Croatia made a comeback and England were knocked out. The 30,000 beer-soaked fans watched in agony as England came up just short of the Final. "I'm really, really sad but I'm still 100% proud of them" said a tearful Laura Russon, 31, clutching an empty cider bottle. Fans were shocked when their team reached the semis, as it was a prospect which had seemed virtually impossible at the start. Even though they bowed out of the tournament, they are applauded for their brave journey through the World Cup. 

Croatia break England hearts to reach the Final

     

Mandžukić scores a brilliant goal against England.

 Croatia made history by reaching the World Cup Final for the first time after a great comeback, while England fans were grief-struck, after last nights action-packed match between the two European nations.

       England pressed high from the start, and a foul by Croatia captain Luka Modrić 5 minutes into the game resulted in a free kick just outside the box. Midfielder Kieran Trippier made an unbelievable strike and shot home a glorious goal, his first for England. Their captain Harry Kane almost added another in the 30ᵗᑋ minute but was denied two times by Subašić. The match went 1-0 for England at half-time, and both teams' managers had very different talks with their teams.

       At the start of the second half, Croatia looked more dominant, having defended very well a few times. When the clock showed 68', Vrsaljko crossed the ball to Ivan Perišić, who raised his foot above Kyle Walker's head and netted a wonderful equaliser to bring Croatia back into the game. 4 minutes later, Perišić showed some individual brilliance and almost made it 2 for Croatia, but the ball hit the sidebar. Normal time ended with 1-1 on the scoreboard.

       9 minutes into the first half of extra time, John Stones took a brilliant header towards goal but a goal-line save by Vrsaljko prevented him from scoring. 6 minutes later, Mandžukić stuck out a foot to Perišić's cross but England keeper Pickford blocked it and Mandžukić got scraped at the knee in the process. 11 minutes from end of extra time, Pivarić crossed the ball but it was half-cleared by Walker and got to Perišić, who headed it to a clear space for Mandžukić, and the latter struck with his left foot (see picture) to get Croatia the win and a ticket to the Final.

Kane-led England face Midfield Maestros Croatia

A photo of the captains of England and Croatia, who will face each other today.

      Gareth Southgate's England have reached the World Cup semi-finals after 28 years, and led by captain and top-scorer in this World Cup, Harry Kane, they have the abilities to overcome Croatia and their world-class midfield. The teams last met in a major tournament in the Euro 2004, with England winning 4-2. 

        England have primarily gone with a 3-5-2 lineup with Harry Kane as a "genuine striker" and Raheem Sterling as a link between midfield-defense and the captain. They have had good record in the Group stage, beating Tunisia and destroying Panama while losing to Belgium 0-1. The Round of 16 match was a heart-stopping occasion as Colombia put up a good fight, while they eased past the quarter-finals beating Sweden 2-0. England have much talent, but they are still a young team and may face a challenge against the more experienced Croatia side. On the other hand, England's 8 goals out of 11 in this World Cup have come from set pieces, with 3 from open play, so they might have an edge.

       Croatia have a lineup of 4-1-4-1, with Mario Mandžukić as the striker, while the key players Ivan Rakitić and captain Luka Modrić in the attacking-midfield have loads of experience from their respective clubs and are the backbone of the team. They are the 5th team ever in World Cup history to win all 3 of their group stage matches, beating Nigeria, Argentina and Iceland while conceding only 1 goal. Their both knockout-stage matches have been decided on penalties, which puts some pressure on them. They have a fit defense, outstanding midfield, but rely on lucky chances, created by unusual circumstances, so they have to overcome this and CREATE set pieces to progress further into the competition.

       Match Info:

Match starts: 23:00 (Pakistan Standard Time)

Venue: Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow (Capacity:78,011)

Extras in brief from the FIFA World Cup 2018

• Rescued Thai boys denied World Cup Final: 8 young Thai footballers, rescued from an underground cave, have been told by Doctors that they are unlikely to accept the offer of attending the World Cup Final by Gianni Infantino due to "medical reasons". The boys, trapped underground for more than 2 weeks, have been rescued and now looked on by doctors. They have had several blood tests and x-rays and will not be in a position to travel to Moscow.
• Vukojevic kicked out over pro-Ukraine video: Following Croatia's win over Russia, former Croatian midfielder Ognjen Vukojevic posted a video with Domagoj Vida which earned him an ejection from the Croatian delegation to Russia, a $15,000 fine by FIFA and a warning over unsporting behaviour. Vukojevic posted an Instagram video showing him and Vida shouting "Glory to Ukraine! This victory is for Dynamo (Kiev) and for Ukraine! Croatia onward!" This video caused political row, and Vukojevic was sacked from the Croatian delegation.
• Moscow's World Cup ticket scalpers: Outside FIFA World Cup ticket office in Moscow, fans of different countries try reselling tickets of semi-finals and final at double the price. The disappointed fans, who hoped their team would reach the semi-final, have started reselling their match tickets as they "do not want them anymore". Even though the Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a legislation banning resale of tickets, fans continue the act. Police officers have also shrugged it off and one officer claimed to have been "not aware that the ticket scalping was illegal."

France reach final as the Red Devils head home

   

Umtiti celebrates his goal against Belgium.

   Barcelona center-back Samuel Umtiti became the latest French hero as his 52ⁿᵈ minute header rocketed France into the World Cup 2018 Final, while Belgium's Golden Generation failed to surprise. France dominated the match, even though having 36% possession of the ball. But it's what you DO with the ball that counts, and France managed to get 19 shots, as compared to Belgium's 9.

       From the start of the match, Belgium controlled the ball more and had a few shots on goal, Hazard's long shot deflected away by Varane at 19' and Alderweireld denied by captain Lloris at 21'. Mbappe's quick pass to Pavard would have resulted in a goal, had it not been the outstretched right leg of Courtois. At half time, 0-0 remained on the scoreboard and both managers looked to change tactics.

       With the start of the second half, France pressed higher and Olivier Giroud's 51ˢᵗ minute shot at goal, deflected by Kompany, resulted in a corner, taken by Griezmann. Umtiti jumped for glory as he headed home a brilliant header while Fellaini, who was with the latter, was grief struck (see picture). France led the match 1-0. 5 minutes later, a series of vigorous passes by Hernandez, Matuidi and Mbappe almost led to another goal as Giroud snuck in behind the Belgium defense but was denied. Belgium's last offence at 81' on the clock had Lukaku find Hazard, who had the ball kicked away by Varane. The ball went to Axel Witsel who tried his luck at long range and almost netted a goal but the French captain blocked the shot. At the sound of the whistle, French fans bellowed at their top while brave Belgium were knocked out.

France look to overcome Belgium's "Golden Generation"

       

(left) Kylian Mbappe, the first French teenager to score in a World Cup. (right) Kevin de Bruyne, the backbone of Belgium.

Didier Deschamps' side, led by Hugo Lloris, laboured through the group stage with only 3 goals in 3 games. However, they showcased their incredible depth of talent when 19-year-old Kylian Mbappe led them to a destruction of Messi-led Argentina in the Round of 16.  France are perhaps peaking ahead of their time as many critics viewed them as not mature enough to win the World Cup until Qatar 2022. But France has yet proved them wrong and may very well have the ability to be crowned Champions of this edition of the World Cup.

       On the other hand, under Roberto Martinez and French legend Thierry Henry, neighbours Belgium have surely been one of the surprises of this World Cup. Dubbed the "Golden Generation", with the likes of Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, they have been the top scorers in Russia so far with 14 goals on their side. Belgium are the team that seem to have come together at the right time, having thrashed Tunisia and Panama before winning 1-0 over England to secure themselves a place in the "Deadly Half" of the knockout stage. But so far, after the heart-stopping clash with Japan, they haven't regretted it, easily beating Brazil 2-0 over tactical advantage.

       Match Info:

Match Starts: 23:00 (Pakistan Standard Time)

Venue: St Petersburg Stadium, St Petersburg (Capacity: 64,287)