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Saudi Arabia shocks Messi’s Argentina with 2-1 win

The Argentines also had three goals ruled out for offside as they went into half-time with a 1-0 lead…reports Asian Lite News

Saudi Arabia stunned two-time champions Argentina 2-1 in a group C FIFA World Cup tie played here at the Lusail stadium.

Argentina got off to a great start as Lionel Messi converted a penalty in the 10th minute to give his side a 1-0 lead. Playing in his fifth World Cup Messi beat Saudi Arabia’s goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais to find the net.

The Argentines also had three goals ruled out for offside as they went into half-time with a 1-0 lead.

The second half was a different story altogether as 51st-ranked team Saudi Arabia came with a new vigour with Saleh Al-Shehri scoring a goal for them to level the score 1-1. Al-Shehri squeezed in a low shot into the nets.

Five minutes later the Saudis took the lead as Salem Al-Dawsari tapped in a goal in the 53rd minute to give them a crucial 2-1 lead.

Despite a lot of possession after conceding the goal, the two-time champions were unable to level the score. Saudi’s goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais made many important saves and their defence also stood tall in the match’s dying moments.

Abdulelah Al Amri was awarded the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his brilliant performance.

Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina came into the FIFA World Cup 2022 as one of the favourites. Saudi Arabia broke Argentina’s 36-match unbeaten streak, including winning the Copa America 2021.

The two-time champions had 69 per cent of possession in comparison to Saudi Arabia who had only 31. There were six shots on target for Argentina in comparison to Saudi who had just two.

The Argentines will face Mexico on Saturday in their next group C match, while Saudi Arabia will take on Poland (ANI)

ALSO READ: FIFA revenue expected to break records

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FIFA revenue expected to break records

Coming back to FIFA World Cup 2022, a total of 32 teams from five confederations are competing in Qatar. As many as 64 matches will be played during the course of 29 days…reports Asian Lite News

With the formal kicking off of the once-in-a-four-year and much-awaited FIFA World Cup, football fever has gripped all across the globe.

The biggest extravaganza of football started on November 20 in Qatar and will be held till December 18. Eight stadiums across Qatar will be hosting the 64 matches of this showpiece event.

As global audiences set the stage for memorable sporting achievements on the field, off the field there are commercial and reputational opportunities across the entire technology, media and telecommunications sector, according to a new analysis by global financial information and analytics services provider S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Based on its analysis, it pegged that Qatar is expected to generate USD 6.5 billion, surpassing all previous tournaments and at four times the figure seen in Korea and Japan in 2002.

The federation FIFA operates as custodian of the game, with all income distributed back into the sport. Expenses consist of event-related costs, development payments to member nations, governance and other administration costs. During the 2018 football world cup in Russia, revenue worth USD 5.2 billion was generated, it said in its analysis report.

“Analysis of the last complete four-year World Cup cycle that led up to Russia 2018 shows that just under half of FIFA revenue came from broadcasting rights fees,” it said in the report.

“An additional 26 per cent came from marketing rights with sponsors signing contracts to associate with the event. Hospitality and ticket sales brought 11 per cent, illustrating that media exposure and a global affinity with the sport drive overall revenue,” it said.

Notably, the FIFA World Cup 2022 will be the first time the event has taken place during the fourth quarter of a calendar year. The scheduling was reported to be due to the extreme weather conditions in Qatar during June and July, the months in which the tournament is typically held.

“This delayed scheduling means that matches will be taking place within the most lucrative TV advertising period of the year,” the S&P Global Market Intelligence report said.

Coming back to FIFA World Cup 2022, a total of 32 teams from five confederations are competing in Qatar. As many as 64 matches will be played during the course of 29 days.

The teams are hosts Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, the Netherlands, England, Iran, USA, Wales, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland, France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia, Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan, Belgium, Canada, Morocco, and Croatia, Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon, Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea.

Notably, the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament is the last with 32 participating teams, as the field will increase to 48 teams when Canada, Mexico and the United States will host the 2026 tournament.

France is the defending champion, having won their second title in 2018 after defeating Croatia in the final.

Most notably, it is likely the last World Cup tournament for Lionel Messi, the Argentina striker – who is considered one of the greatest ever footballers of all time. It is also highly likely that 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo will don the Portuguese colours for one final time.

This marks the first time the Middle East is hosting the event. It is also the first time the World Cup is being held outside the typical June-July window, in order to avoid the desert heat during the summers in Qatar. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Hosts Qatar lose on field

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Nora to perform at FIFA Fan Festival

Nora Fatehi.

She became the first Arab African female artist to reach 1 billion views on a single YouTube unit with her well-known song Dilbar…reports Asian Lite News

Nora Fatehi, Bollywood actor and dancing prodigy, will perform live on November 29 at the FIFA Fan Festival alongside other international celebrities. A true football festival will take place over the course of 29 days, bringing together football, music, culture, and lifestyle for fans from all over the world.

Al Bidda Park, which is in the heart of Doha, will host the free access festival. There will be 100 hours of live music, 64 big-screen FIFA World CupTM matches, special football matches with FIFA Legends and culinary delights. Three zones make up the Fan Festival: Live, Food, and Play.

Nora Fatehi is the most well-known Arab artist in the world on Instagram, with 43 million followers as of today. More than 7 billion people have seen her featured YouTube videos overall. She became the first Arab African female artist to reach 1 billion views on a single YouTube unit with her well-known song Dilbar. She made her singing debut in 2018, working with the Moroccan band Fnaire to produce and perform the Arabic version of Dilbar, which helped her build a sizable Arab fan base.

Keep an eye out for incredible experiences and performances!

ALSO READ-England kicks off campaign with thumping 6-2 win over Iran

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FIFA, a distant dream for Blue Tigers

The Blue Tigers perhaps enjoyed their golden years from late 1940s to late 1960s — during which they participated in four Olympics and won the gold twice in Asian Games. Since 1970, the Indian team has seen a steady decline in performance…writes Ishwar Nath Jha

With just a day left before the start of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar (Nov 20 to Dec 18), the 32 best footballing nations are engaged in their final preparations, while their countrymen are praying for their teams to lift the prestigious trophy.

Like elsewhere, football fever has gripped India too with a majority rooting for all-time favourites Brazil, while the remaining seem to be divided between holders France and Lionel Messi-led Argentina.

When there is so much enthusiasm for the sport in India, the big question is: Why can’t a country that has started producing Olympic champions qualify for the football World Cup?

Every time a World Cup takes place after four years, Indian fans have precisely one question — when will India play in the game’s showpiece event?

And the answer is always the same — given the standard of the game back home, India will never play in the World Cup.

Maybe Indian football can benefit if the truth that is hidden behind this brazen answer is brought out.

Indian football officials probably do not allow this truth to come out. Even those who are critical of the plight of Indian football agree that the level of the game in the country is way behind world standards. Our players neither have that kind of skill, nor the fitness to compete in the spot’s mega event.

The Blue Tigers perhaps enjoyed their golden years from late 1940s to late 1960s — during which they participated in four Olympics and won the gold twice in Asian Games. Since 1970, the Indian team has seen a steady decline in performance.

What should be done?

With Kalyan Chaubey taking charge as the President of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), there is a lot of talk about the roadmap for Indian football. After becoming the President, Chaubey during his first press conference gave an outline for the development of the sport in India.

On completion of 100 days in office, Chaubey told a group of journalists, “We will work to the best of our abilities to make it (roadmap) a success. Our aim would be to ensure that the state associations benefit from the infrastructural support of the Central government as well as the state governments. We also have plans to introduce more tournaments. If we can restart the U-21 national championship, it will benefit the India U-21 team.

“A uniform youth league will be introduced to get the best out of it. Former footballers in every state, maybe those who have played for more than a decade, would be roped in. Their expertise can be used as scouts in youth tournaments.”

At present, only a few states like West Bengal, Goa, Kerala, northeastern states and Delhi have their own leagues in different categories. There is hardly any such league football in big states like Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

How ISL and I-League are helping Indian football

The initial phase of the Indian Super League (ISL) saw big names of world football playing in it, including Robert Pires, Alessandro Del Piero, Roberto Carlos, David Trezeguet and Diego Forlan. But the critics of Indian football said that the national team is not going to get any benefit from the presence of superstars of yesteryears in the league.

Most of these foreign players were at the end of their careers and stayed here for relatively brief spells, but their presence set the base for Indian football. The signings of players like Tim Cahill, Asamoh Gyan and Francis Medina Luna added to the elite list of professional footballers to challenge themselves in India before retiring from the international stage.

Indian players have certainly benefited from the presence of these world-class professionals.

The journey from 2010 to 2020 has been one of the great changes for the national team. When there is a goal and an intention, the possibilities multiply enormously.

But, is this enough for the Indian team to play in the World Cup? Certainly not.

The Indian team is ranked 106th in FIFA rankings released on October 6. The Blue Tigers, who have qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, last played two international friendlies in September. They drew 1-1 with Singapore and lost 0-3 to Vietnam. The last time the Blue Tigers were ranked 106th was in March 2022.

The road to the 2022 Qatar World Cup also fell flat as the Indian team finished third in the campaign behind Qatar and Oman, which was also the joint qualifier for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

Budding footballers often ask why India do not play in the World Cup. Their curiosity has increased a lot ever since they saw Sunil Chhetri’s picture with great players like Messi and Ronaldo. How to tell them that we still have a long, long way to go?

ALSO READ-Hosts Qatar lose on field

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Netherlands beat Senegal 2-0 in their World Cup opener

Netherlands unveil squad for 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The two sides had struggled to break the impasse until late in the match with the Dutch failing to score with several attempts at the goal…reports Asian Lite News

The Netherlands surprised with two quick goals in the second half in their opening match against Senegal in Doha on Monday.

The Dutch managed to emerge victorious in a tightly contested match as their African counterparts showed resilience through 90 minutes.

Cody Gakpo scored towards the end of play time while substitute Davy Klaassen netted home the second one in injury time to beat Senegal 2-0 in their World Cup Group A opening match at Al Thumama Stadium.

The two sides had struggled to break the impasse until late in the match with the Dutch failing to score with several attempts at the goal.

“It was a difficult game and we were not careful with the ball… I think we can do a lot better but the victory obviously gives us a good feeling. We were clearly in search of a goal and eventually we got it,” said Gakpo after the match.

The Netherlands will meet Ecuador in their second match on November 25, while Senegal will play against Qatar on the same day.

ALSO READ-England kicks off campaign with thumping 6-2 win over Iran

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England kicks off campaign with thumping 6-2 win over Iran

Raheem Sterling made it 3-0 in the injury time of the first half. England went into half-time with a healthy lead of 3-0…reports Asian Lite News

England started their World Cup 2022 campaign in style decimating Iran 6-2 at the Khalifa International Stadium here.Bukayo Saka scored a brace for the English team while Jude Bellingham, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish scored a goal each.

Iran suffered a huge blow when their goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand collided with his teammate Majid Hosseini. Beiranvand had to be stretchered out in the 19th minute.

England gave a dominant performance which combined skill with speed. Jude Bellingham got England off the mark in the World Cup 2022 scoring a goal in the 35th minute. Eight minutes later, Bukayo Saka doubled the lead for Gareth Southgate’s side to give them a 2-0 lead. Raheem Sterling made it 3-0 in the injury time of the first half. England went into half-time with a healthy lead of 3-0.

In the second half, Saka scored his second goal of the match to make it 4-0 as he found the net in the 62nd minute. Three minutes later Iran too managed to find the nets as Mehdi Taremi scored the team’s first goal of the tournament and the scoreline read 4-1 in the English side’s favour.
Marcus Rashford helped England restore their four-goal lead as he struck the fifth goal for his side to take a 5-1 lead. Jack Grealish too joined the party scoring in the 89th minute as England stretched their lead to 6-1. Iran came close to scoring another goal as Sardar Azmoun raced through in stoppage time, but Jordan Pickford produced a fingertip save to turn his effort onto the bar. Iran got a late penalty after a VAR check for a foul on Morteza Pouraliganji which resulted in Taremi scoring his second goal of the match. The match ended with a 6-2 in England’s favour.

The English team was a far more superior side on the day enjoying 78 per cent of the possession in comparison to Iran who managed only 22 per cent. England also had seven shots on target compared to Iran, with only three shots on target. England had eight corners in comparison to Iran which had none. Iran committed 14 fouls while England did 9.
England created opportunities through the match and converted many of them into brilliant goals. England will now face USA and Wales in their next encounters. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Hosts Qatar lose on field

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Hosts Qatar lose on field

Fenerbahce forward Enner Valencia scored two first-half goals as World Cup debutants Qatar became the first host team to lose the opening match of football’s showpiece tournament…reports Asian Lite News

Ecuador manager Gustavo Alfaro said he was happy but not “totally satisfied” with his team’s 2-0 victory over hosts Qatar in their opening match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Sunday.

“The most important thing today was to win. I’m not totally satisfied because we know there are a lot of things we can improve, but we are all learning, including me,” the Argentine coach told a post-match press conference at the Al Bayt Stadium.

“It’s a great victory. All games in the World Cup are difficult but the opening match against the tournament hosts involves more tension. We didn’t know how our level would be because there was little time to prepare. We only had four days to get ready for this game. Added to that was the fact it was the opening match of the World Cup, and this is a young team,” he was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

Alfaro said his players needed to raise their game to another level in their remaining group-stage matches against Senegal and the Netherlands.

“Today we took an important step but it’s not decisive. There are teams that have won their first match of the World Cup and not advanced (to the knockout stage). But having said all of that, this victory is important and it will give us confidence.

“We were good in this match but we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. We are in a period of construction. We know that what we achieved in the (South America zone) qualifiers isn’t enough. Here we are up against the best teams in the world. The times are short between each game.”

Playing in their fourth World Cup, Ecuador’s best ever finish in the tournament was a round of 16 appearance against England in 2006, which they lost after a trademark David Beckham free-kick.

“We have big hopes but it’s hard to say how much we can advance in the tournament. It will depend on how much we are able to improve and incorporate aspects to our game that we need to get better,” Alfaro added.

Meanwhile, Qatar manager Felix Sanchez admitted his team suffered from an attack of nerves during their 2-0 defeat to Ecuador.

Fenerbahce forward Enner Valencia scored two first-half goals as World Cup debutants Qatar became the first host team to lose the opening match of football’s showpiece tournament.

“Nerves got the better of us,” Sanchez told a post-match press conference. “We competed well but it’s a World Cup and we were playing in it for the first time. In front of our fans we weren’t able to be at the level we would have liked after a bad start.”

Sanchez vowed he and his backroom staff would analyze what went wrong and make any necessary changes ahead of their next match against Senegal on Friday.

“It wasn’t the game we’d hoped for,” he said. “We have to analyze the match and try to prepare for the next one, which will be as tough or even tougher than this one. We will look at how we can be more effective with the players we have available.”

“We have to congratulate our opponents. They were deserving winners. We can improve a lot and we know we haven’t shown our maximum level. Nerves got the better of us early. We started badly and that hurt us. We have to handle the pressure better and be more competitive in our next matches.”

The Spaniard, who has been Qatar’s manager since 2017, added: “We lacked precision at key moments and we weren’t able to string more than four passes together.

“We were also poor in transitions. When you play at this level if you make a mistake, you get punished. We will try to be stronger and more compact in our next match. We know that we have to move the ball faster and pass the ball better to be effective against teams in this competition.”

ALSO READ-Dreamy opening to FIFA World Cup with BTS’ Jungkook

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Dreamy opening to FIFA World Cup with BTS’ Jungkook

Legendary American actor said football unites nations. “Football spans the world, unites nations in their love of the beautiful game. What brings together nations, brings together communities,” said Freeman…reports Asian Lite News

One of the most popular faces in Hollywood Morgan Freeman and South Korean singer BTS’ Jung Kook stole the limelight during a glittering opening of the FIFA World Cup 2022 at the Al Bayt Stadium here on Sunday.

One of the non-musical performers was American actor Morgan Freeman. The 85-year-old narrated the event live and delivered a speech about the “emotions that connect us all now”. It spanned around 20 minutes and kept the audience all around the world glued to their screens.

Legendary American actor said football unites nations. “Football spans the world, unites nations in their love of the beautiful game. What brings together nations, brings together communities,” said Freeman.

However, besides Freedman, the real star of the nearly hour-long ceremony had to be BTS’ Jung Kook laying down his new tune “Dreamers” for the 60,000-capacity stadium. Surrounded by dancers, the international superstar and South Korean supporter set the standard for World Cup opening ceremonies to come.

The stadium was also packed as the glitz and glamour of the ceremony caught all the limelight. Some of the superstars of the world performed.

Among the famous faces in the crowd was former England captain David Beckham, who has been working as an ambassador for Qatar 2022.

One of the most colourful elements of the show was an appearance by all former World Cup mascots, including South Africa’s Zakumi and Footix from France 1998.

After the performances, His Highness The Amit, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani gave a speech.

“Welcome and good luck to all,” he said in English. His speech was followed by loud cheers by the crowd.

ALSO READ-Messi, Ronaldo first-ever joint ad pic break internet

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2nd T20I: India beat New Zealand by 65 runs

Top-ranked T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav’s second T20I century propelled India to a challenging 191/6…reports Asian Lite News

All-rounder Deepak Hooda took four wickets, including three in the final over, while Yuzvendra Chahal and Mohammed Siraj starred with two wickets each as India beat New Zealand by 65 runs to win the second T20I at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Sunday.

After Suryakumar Yadav, the top-ranked T20I batter, hit 11 fours and seven sixes all over the park at a strike-rate of 217.65 to be unbeaten on 111 off 51 balls, his second T20I century and propel India to a challenging 191/6, New Zealand just never got going with the chase and were bowled out for 126 in 18.5 overs.

India struck on just the second ball of defending 191 as Bhuvneshwar Kumar enticed Finn Allen to go for a drive and edge flew to running third man. Devon Conway and Kane Williamson hit six boundaries, including taking 17 runs off Washington Sundar’s first over of the match.

But India bounced back as Conway mistimed a sweep to deep backward square leg off Sundar in the ninth over. Glenn Phillips hammered a four and six, but was clean bowled by Yuzvendra Chahal while going for a slog-sweep.

The scoreboard pressure then led to Daryl Mitchell and James Neesham holing out to long-on in quick succession. Williamson held one end but was in a painful struggle at the crease, unable to get the big hits and forced to go slow against the spinners.

As Mohammed Siraj caught a leading edge from Mitchell Santner’s bat in his follow-through, the result was a foregone conclusion. Though Williamson got his fifty with a pulled six over deep backward square leg and then punched beautifully between mid-off and extra cover for four more off Siraj, it was too little too late for New Zealand.

Williamson’s scratchy stay came to an end when an under-edge on a swipe across the line crashed into the stumps off Siraj in the 18th over. Deepak Hooda took the last three wickets in four balls to get a convincing win for India.

Brief Scores: India 191/6 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 111 not out, Ishan Kishan 36; Tim Southee 3/34, Lockie Ferguson 2/49) beat New Zealand 126 all out in 18.5 overs (Kane Williamson 61, Devon Conway 25; Deepak Hooda 4/10, Mohammed Siraj 2/24) by 65 runs

ALSO READ: Messi, Ronaldo first-ever joint ad pic break internet

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Messi, Ronaldo first-ever joint ad pic break internet

Messi, Ronaldo

While some social media users called it “iconic”, others hailed it as the “picture of the century”…reports Asian Lite News

Considered to be two of the greatest players of this generation Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi joined forces to produce one of the most iconic images in football history.

The image was shared by both the footballers on the eve of the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, through their Instagram accounts.

While some social media users called it “iconic”, others hailed it as the “picture of the century”.

With both of them sharing 12 Ballon d’Or’s between them, Ronaldo and Messi came together for a promotion campaign by Louis Vuitton ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

Many view the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to be the final one for both players with the Argentinian great already confirming it. However, the Portuguese star has said he wants to play for a few more years.

On Saturday, the fans of both players were in for a treat as Louis Vuitton released their new campaign featuring both of them. The two legendary footballers can be seen playing chess together in the picture with both deep in concentration on what their next move would be.

The Louis Vuitton briefcase on which Ronaldo and Messi are playing chess was part of the 2018 World Cup in which the FIFA World Cup trophy was presented ahead of the opening fixture and the final.

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