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..::Football IV::..
- Thread starter Wolverine GTR
- Start date
France 4 Argentina 3: Mbappe turns on the style to dump out Messi's men
Kylian Mbappe upstaged Lionel Messi as France recorded a 4-3 win over Argentina in a topsy-turvy last-16 clash to open the knockout stages at the World Cup.Teenager Mbappe was in devastating form in the heavyweight clash in Kazan, scoring two second-half goals to bring Argentina's tumultuous campaign in Russia to an end.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward's surging 70-yard burst also led to the opener after 13 minutes, Antoine Griezmann slotting home from the penalty spot after Mbappe had been hauled down by Marcos Rojo.Yet Argentina turned the game around to go ahead, Angel Di Maria's stunning long-range strike before the break followed by Gabriel Mercado's fortuitous effort early in the second half.
However, Benjamin Pavard matched Di Maria's effort with an outstanding equaliser in the 57th minute before Mbappe took centre stage, securing Didier Deschamps' side a place in the quarter-finals, where they will play either Uruguay or Portugal.
Messi – who will face questions over his international future in the aftermath of the defeat - did set up a late header for Sergio Aguero but it was not enough to save Argentina, with the beaten finalists from 2014 slipping out of this year’s tournament.
France, who made six changes from the side that drew 0-0 with Denmark last time out, were almost ahead after nine minutes, but Griezmann's wonderful 25-yard free-kick crashed back off Franco Armani's crossbar.The Atletico Madrid striker did not have to wait long to open the scoring, though - largely thanks to the scintillating pace of Mbappe.
After picking the ball up deep inside his own half, he set off on a sparkling run that was only halted when Rojo clumsily hauled him down just inside the area.Griezmann stepped up and coolly converted from the spot, sending the ball low to Armani's right for his second goal - both penalties - at the World Cup.
Argentina had scarcely offered anything in the way of an attacking threat during a tepid first half, yet drew level four minutes before the interval when Di Maria unleashed from distance with his left foot to beat Hugo Lloris.Boosted by the equaliser, Jorge Sampaoli's team started the second period brightly and were duly rewarded with a second goal three minutes after the restart.
Ever Banega's free-kick was headed out towards Messi and the Barcelona star's whipped effort towards goal was diverted past a helpless Lloris by Mercado, who had stuck out his foot in an apparent attempt to control the ball.
Their lead lasted just nine minutes, though, as France pulled level with a goal of the highest quality.Lucas Hernandez's cross from the left found his full-back partner Pavard, who sliced across his half-volley from outside the area, sending it spinning into Armani's top-right corner.Mbappe put France ahead again in the 64th minute when he picked up a loose ball in the area, found a yard of space and fired in low past Armani, who was slow getting down. His second - a first-time finish - followed just four minutes later, finally putting clear daylight between the teams.
Aguero set up a tense finale by nodding home in the third minute of stoppage time, but it was not enough to prevent Argentina - and Messi - from crashing out.
Kylian Mbappe upstaged Lionel Messi as France recorded a 4-3 win over Argentina in a topsy-turvy last-16 clash to open the knockout stages at the World Cup.Teenager Mbappe was in devastating form in the heavyweight clash in Kazan, scoring two second-half goals to bring Argentina's tumultuous campaign in Russia to an end.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward's surging 70-yard burst also led to the opener after 13 minutes, Antoine Griezmann slotting home from the penalty spot after Mbappe had been hauled down by Marcos Rojo.Yet Argentina turned the game around to go ahead, Angel Di Maria's stunning long-range strike before the break followed by Gabriel Mercado's fortuitous effort early in the second half.
However, Benjamin Pavard matched Di Maria's effort with an outstanding equaliser in the 57th minute before Mbappe took centre stage, securing Didier Deschamps' side a place in the quarter-finals, where they will play either Uruguay or Portugal.
Messi – who will face questions over his international future in the aftermath of the defeat - did set up a late header for Sergio Aguero but it was not enough to save Argentina, with the beaten finalists from 2014 slipping out of this year’s tournament.
France, who made six changes from the side that drew 0-0 with Denmark last time out, were almost ahead after nine minutes, but Griezmann's wonderful 25-yard free-kick crashed back off Franco Armani's crossbar.The Atletico Madrid striker did not have to wait long to open the scoring, though - largely thanks to the scintillating pace of Mbappe.
After picking the ball up deep inside his own half, he set off on a sparkling run that was only halted when Rojo clumsily hauled him down just inside the area.Griezmann stepped up and coolly converted from the spot, sending the ball low to Armani's right for his second goal - both penalties - at the World Cup.
Argentina had scarcely offered anything in the way of an attacking threat during a tepid first half, yet drew level four minutes before the interval when Di Maria unleashed from distance with his left foot to beat Hugo Lloris.Boosted by the equaliser, Jorge Sampaoli's team started the second period brightly and were duly rewarded with a second goal three minutes after the restart.
Ever Banega's free-kick was headed out towards Messi and the Barcelona star's whipped effort towards goal was diverted past a helpless Lloris by Mercado, who had stuck out his foot in an apparent attempt to control the ball.
Their lead lasted just nine minutes, though, as France pulled level with a goal of the highest quality.Lucas Hernandez's cross from the left found his full-back partner Pavard, who sliced across his half-volley from outside the area, sending it spinning into Armani's top-right corner.Mbappe put France ahead again in the 64th minute when he picked up a loose ball in the area, found a yard of space and fired in low past Armani, who was slow getting down. His second - a first-time finish - followed just four minutes later, finally putting clear daylight between the teams.
Aguero set up a tense finale by nodding home in the third minute of stoppage time, but it was not enough to prevent Argentina - and Messi - from crashing out.
Boring game of course. No surprise
Suarez being a cunt as always. Really compact & good on the back tho Uruguay. Great goal as well
Wake up Portugal!!
Suarez being a cunt as always. Really compact & good on the back tho Uruguay. Great goal as well
Wake up Portugal!!
Full Time
Uruguay 2 Vs 1 Portugal
Uruguay Goal(s)
E.Cavani 7',62'
&
Portugal Goal(s)
Pepe 55'
Uruguay Goal(s)
E.Cavani 7',62'
&
Portugal Goal(s)
Pepe 55'
Pogba: Mbappe is way more talented than me!
Paul Pogba has conceded that Kylian Mbappe has “much more talent” than he does, with the Manchester United midfielder accepting that he was never as promising as his France team-mate.
A man who returned to Old Trafford in the summer of 2016 as part of an £89 million transfer package knows all about being billed as the next big thing.Now 25 years old, Pogba was tipped to be the future of French football upon making the breakthrough at United and starring for Serie A giants Juventus.
While Pogba has struggled at times to fulfil his promise, Mbappe is already being spoken about as a future Ballon d’Or winner.
At the age of 19, the Paris Saint-Germain forward is backing up his eye-catching displays at club level with talismanic showings at World Cup 2018 – with a match-winning brace recorded in a thrilling 4-3 victory over Argentina at the last 16 stage of that tournament.
Pogba told reporters after witnessing Mbappe’s stunning performance in a hard-fought victory: “Kylian has much more talent than I have. “Do you see what he is doing at his age? No, I never had his talent.“He has so much speed... he’s a forward, he can’t be compared with me.”
Mbappe took his World Cup goal tally to three with a deadly double against Argentina which saw him match the teenage achievements of Brazil icon Pele.
He had previously netted the only goal of the game in a group-stage victory over Peru, with that effort helping France to top their standings and move into the last 16 unbeaten.A quarter-final outing is next on the agenda, with Les Bleus set to face either Portugal or Uruguay.
Pogba and Mbappe will have important roles to play in that contest, with Didier Deschamps looking to key men to continue providing inspiration as his class of 2018 seek to emulate what he achieved as France captain 20 years ago.
Paul Pogba has conceded that Kylian Mbappe has “much more talent” than he does, with the Manchester United midfielder accepting that he was never as promising as his France team-mate.
A man who returned to Old Trafford in the summer of 2016 as part of an £89 million transfer package knows all about being billed as the next big thing.Now 25 years old, Pogba was tipped to be the future of French football upon making the breakthrough at United and starring for Serie A giants Juventus.
While Pogba has struggled at times to fulfil his promise, Mbappe is already being spoken about as a future Ballon d’Or winner.
At the age of 19, the Paris Saint-Germain forward is backing up his eye-catching displays at club level with talismanic showings at World Cup 2018 – with a match-winning brace recorded in a thrilling 4-3 victory over Argentina at the last 16 stage of that tournament.
Pogba told reporters after witnessing Mbappe’s stunning performance in a hard-fought victory: “Kylian has much more talent than I have. “Do you see what he is doing at his age? No, I never had his talent.“He has so much speed... he’s a forward, he can’t be compared with me.”
Mbappe took his World Cup goal tally to three with a deadly double against Argentina which saw him match the teenage achievements of Brazil icon Pele.
He had previously netted the only goal of the game in a group-stage victory over Peru, with that effort helping France to top their standings and move into the last 16 unbeaten.A quarter-final outing is next on the agenda, with Les Bleus set to face either Portugal or Uruguay.
Pogba and Mbappe will have important roles to play in that contest, with Didier Deschamps looking to key men to continue providing inspiration as his class of 2018 seek to emulate what he achieved as France captain 20 years ago.
'It's not going to go to Messi' - Modric backed to take Golden Ball from Argentina star
Zlatko Dalic hopes Luka Modric will be named the best player at the 2018 World Cup as it will mean Croatia have done something "significant" in Russia.
Modric has been widely praised as one of the standout performers from the group stage, having inspired his side to take nine points out of nine against Iceland, Argentina and Nigeria.All eyes will be on the Real Madrid midfielder again on Sunday, when he does battle with Denmark star Christian Eriksen in the last-16 clash in Nizhny Novgorod, where he scored a stunning goal in the 3-0 win over Argentina.
With Jorge Sampaoli's side having lost 4-3 to France in a thriller on Saturday, the Golden Ball won by Lionel Messi back in 2014 is now almost certainly set to end up in different hands.
And Dalic thinks Croatia will likely have had a tournament to remember if Modric is the eventual winner."It's not going to go to Messi because they are 4-2 down right now," he told a news conference, which took place during Argentina's clash with France."I'd be the happiest man on earth if [Modric] did it. It would mean Croatia have done something significant. I hope this is so."
Croatia have been tipped as possible candidates to go all the way at the World Cup due to their performances in the group stage, but Dalic says those games will count for nothing if they do not deliver against Denmark."Our greatest pressure comes from within," he said. "We've achieved something in the groups but it will mean nothing if we don't underline that.
"The group is now behind us. It gives us some confidence in our ability but we can't dwell on that. I'm fully confident in the squad, I know it won't be easy."It's nice to hear we've been recognised as a team who played well in the group but let me reiterate: it will mean nothing if we do not underline it [on Sunday]."
For Dalic, the 2018 finals will be remembered as the peak of his career, regardless of the result at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium."I'm so proud to be a part of this and if we play well, I think we will have achieved a great thing for ourselves, our families and Croatia," he said. "This is what keeps me going.
"I have to be calm but there's a struggle in me. If God allows [the win], we'll be overjoyed. If not, I'll be proud of the time I've spent with these boys. Whatever comes next, these will have been the best days of my career."
Zlatko Dalic hopes Luka Modric will be named the best player at the 2018 World Cup as it will mean Croatia have done something "significant" in Russia.
Modric has been widely praised as one of the standout performers from the group stage, having inspired his side to take nine points out of nine against Iceland, Argentina and Nigeria.All eyes will be on the Real Madrid midfielder again on Sunday, when he does battle with Denmark star Christian Eriksen in the last-16 clash in Nizhny Novgorod, where he scored a stunning goal in the 3-0 win over Argentina.
With Jorge Sampaoli's side having lost 4-3 to France in a thriller on Saturday, the Golden Ball won by Lionel Messi back in 2014 is now almost certainly set to end up in different hands.
And Dalic thinks Croatia will likely have had a tournament to remember if Modric is the eventual winner."It's not going to go to Messi because they are 4-2 down right now," he told a news conference, which took place during Argentina's clash with France."I'd be the happiest man on earth if [Modric] did it. It would mean Croatia have done something significant. I hope this is so."
Croatia have been tipped as possible candidates to go all the way at the World Cup due to their performances in the group stage, but Dalic says those games will count for nothing if they do not deliver against Denmark."Our greatest pressure comes from within," he said. "We've achieved something in the groups but it will mean nothing if we don't underline that.
"The group is now behind us. It gives us some confidence in our ability but we can't dwell on that. I'm fully confident in the squad, I know it won't be easy."It's nice to hear we've been recognised as a team who played well in the group but let me reiterate: it will mean nothing if we do not underline it [on Sunday]."
For Dalic, the 2018 finals will be remembered as the peak of his career, regardless of the result at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium."I'm so proud to be a part of this and if we play well, I think we will have achieved a great thing for ourselves, our families and Croatia," he said. "This is what keeps me going.
"I have to be calm but there's a struggle in me. If God allows [the win], we'll be overjoyed. If not, I'll be proud of the time I've spent with these boys. Whatever comes next, these will have been the best days of my career."
Uruguay 2 Portugal 1: Cavani brace sends tearful Ronaldo home early
Edinson Cavani's double earned Uruguay a 2-1 win over Portugal and a World Cup quarter-final against France, with a tearful Cristiano Ronaldo knocked out on the same day as his rival Lionel Messi.
Argentina's hopes of going one step better than a narrow defeat to Germany in the 2014 final were ended by a 4-3 loss to Les Bleus, with Ronaldo quickly following Messi out of the tournament.
Cavani struck in the seventh minute of Saturday's last-16 tie in Sochi to put Uruguay in control, but Portugal hit back after the interval when Pepe headed home Raphael Guerreiro's cross.
However, Uruguay soon led again when Cavani curled in a peach of a finish, though his delight soon turned to anguish as the striker limped off - aided by Ronaldo - after appearing to pull a muscle.Portugal pressed in search of a second equaliser but Bernardo Silva missed their best chance to level, screwing off-target when faced with an open goal after Fernando Muslera dropped a cross into his path.
Oscar Tabarez's men can now look forward to facing France in Nizhny Novgorod, with Ronaldo and Portugal unable to follow up their surprise success at Euro 2016 two years ago.
Uruguay's previous five goals at Russia 2018 all came from set-pieces but they opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a goal of the highest quality.Cavani switched play from right to left with a sweeping pass out to Suarez, who teased his man before delivering a wonderful cross his strike partner crashed home at the back post.Replays, however, indicated Cavani did not make a clean contact with the finish, appearing to propel the ball over the line via his face, rather than with his forehead as intended.
Suarez was close to adding a second with a 21st-minute free-kick but Rui Patricio was alert to beat away the low strike, before Ronaldo hit the wall with a set-piece opportunity at the other end.Uruguay had not conceded in any of their six matches in 2018 but nearly 10 hours of resistance came to an end courtesy of a simple set-piece move in the 55th minute.
A short corner was worked to Guerreiro and Uruguay did not respond to the threat, the left-back delivering a superb cross that defender Pepe finished brilliantly with a downward header.Parity was short-lived, though, as Uruguay reclaimed the lead just seven minutes later.
Rodrigo Bentancur collected the ball around 30 yards out and slipped the perfect pass out to Cavani on the left side of the penalty area, allowing Paris Saint-Germain's record scorer to curl a gorgeous first-time strike across Wolves' new signing Patricio.
Bernardo Silva ought to have scored a second Portugal equaliser but blazed off-target with the goal gaping after Muslera’s mistake, with Cavani seeming to pick up an injury in the scramble.Fernando Santos threw on Andre Silva as Portugal tried to find a way through, but defensive duo Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez held a frustrated Ronaldo at bay, the Portugal captain picking up a late booking for dissent as his emotions ran overboard in the closing stages.
Atletico Madrid pair Godin and Gimenez will hope for a similar outcome when they come up against club colleague Antoine Griezmann in Friday's quarter-final against France.
Edinson Cavani's double earned Uruguay a 2-1 win over Portugal and a World Cup quarter-final against France, with a tearful Cristiano Ronaldo knocked out on the same day as his rival Lionel Messi.
Argentina's hopes of going one step better than a narrow defeat to Germany in the 2014 final were ended by a 4-3 loss to Les Bleus, with Ronaldo quickly following Messi out of the tournament.
Cavani struck in the seventh minute of Saturday's last-16 tie in Sochi to put Uruguay in control, but Portugal hit back after the interval when Pepe headed home Raphael Guerreiro's cross.
However, Uruguay soon led again when Cavani curled in a peach of a finish, though his delight soon turned to anguish as the striker limped off - aided by Ronaldo - after appearing to pull a muscle.Portugal pressed in search of a second equaliser but Bernardo Silva missed their best chance to level, screwing off-target when faced with an open goal after Fernando Muslera dropped a cross into his path.
Oscar Tabarez's men can now look forward to facing France in Nizhny Novgorod, with Ronaldo and Portugal unable to follow up their surprise success at Euro 2016 two years ago.
Uruguay's previous five goals at Russia 2018 all came from set-pieces but they opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a goal of the highest quality.Cavani switched play from right to left with a sweeping pass out to Suarez, who teased his man before delivering a wonderful cross his strike partner crashed home at the back post.Replays, however, indicated Cavani did not make a clean contact with the finish, appearing to propel the ball over the line via his face, rather than with his forehead as intended.
Suarez was close to adding a second with a 21st-minute free-kick but Rui Patricio was alert to beat away the low strike, before Ronaldo hit the wall with a set-piece opportunity at the other end.Uruguay had not conceded in any of their six matches in 2018 but nearly 10 hours of resistance came to an end courtesy of a simple set-piece move in the 55th minute.
A short corner was worked to Guerreiro and Uruguay did not respond to the threat, the left-back delivering a superb cross that defender Pepe finished brilliantly with a downward header.Parity was short-lived, though, as Uruguay reclaimed the lead just seven minutes later.
Rodrigo Bentancur collected the ball around 30 yards out and slipped the perfect pass out to Cavani on the left side of the penalty area, allowing Paris Saint-Germain's record scorer to curl a gorgeous first-time strike across Wolves' new signing Patricio.
Bernardo Silva ought to have scored a second Portugal equaliser but blazed off-target with the goal gaping after Muslera’s mistake, with Cavani seeming to pick up an injury in the scramble.Fernando Santos threw on Andre Silva as Portugal tried to find a way through, but defensive duo Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez held a frustrated Ronaldo at bay, the Portugal captain picking up a late booking for dissent as his emotions ran overboard in the closing stages.
Atletico Madrid pair Godin and Gimenez will hope for a similar outcome when they come up against club colleague Antoine Griezmann in Friday's quarter-final against France.
