Fowler was excellent throughout but had a luckless night in front of the goal, with Peyraud-Magnin producing a couple of smart stops to keep the youngster out…reports Asian Lite News
Courtney Vine scored the decisive penalty as hosts Australia made history in the FIFA Women’s World Cup on Saturday by storming into their maiden semifinals, prevailing over France via penalties in a quarterfinal clash here.
After holding the European giants goalless in regulation time, the Matildas came out victorious 7-6 in the penalty shoot-out.
Vine converted the decisive penalty in a heart-stopping shootout and clinched a tense and hard-earned victory, thus making the Matildas the first Aussie team, male or female to reach the semifinals of a FIFA World Cup.
Though they were second-best for the bulk of the match, France began brightly and should have moved in front inside 13 minutes, but Maelle Lakrar failed from inside the six-yard box, scooping the ball over from the closest of ranges.
Les Bleues had a miraculous escape late in the first half when Australia’s Mary Fowler fired towards an apparently open goal with goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin stranded and out of position. Elisa de Almeida came to France’s rescue, though, with a magnificent goal-line clearance, diverting the ball behind for a corner.
Fowler was excellent throughout but had a luckless night in front of the goal, with Peyraud-Magnin producing a couple of smart stops to keep the youngster out.
Australia turned to the seasoned Sam Kerr in search of a goal ten minutes into the second half and the Matildas skipper nearly made an immediate impact, setting up Hayley Raso for a curling left-foot shot that the France keeper kept out.
The hosts had their hearts in their mouths in extra time when Alanna Kennedy headed a corner into her own net. But the French celebrations were quickly curtailed as referee Maria Carvajal whistled immediately, having spotted a Wendie Renard shirt-tug while the ball was in the air.
After a wonder save from Australia Mackenzie Arnold to deny Vicki Becho, the match went into penalties.
Herve Renard had introduced Solene Durand seconds beforehand and the substitute keeper, making her first competitive start, did step up with impressive saves from Steph Catley and Clare Hunt.
But Arnold also produced some heroics of her own, and when Vicki Becho hit the post, Vine was able to step up and side-foot the Matildas into the last four and spark wild celebrations on the pitch and in the stands.
In the semifinals, Australia will take on the winner of the match between England and Colombia.
As the only candidate for the position, 52-year-old Infantino will continue his tenure as the FIFA chief….reports Asian Lite News
Gianni Infantino was re-elected as the president of the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) �for the term of 2023-2027 at the 73rd FIFA Congress, held here on Thursday.
As the only candidate for the position, 52-year-old Infantino will continue his tenure as the FIFA chief.
“Being a president is an incredible honor, privilege, and great responsibility. I’m so humble and touched. I promise I’m going to continue to serve for football, and for the member associations,” said Infantino after being re-elected.
Since his election, FIFA has made significant progress in developing the game across the world and strived to implement a comprehensive strategy to make football truly global, a Xinhua report said.
As of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States, the football extravaganza will be expanded to a 48-team competition to give more opportunities to countries and regions which are willing to develop their local football levels.
FIFA approved the Annual Report 2022 in February with a record-breaking revenue of 7.6 billion U.S. dollars during the 2019-2022 cycle, and the FIFA Council expected to earn 11 billion U.S. dollars during the 2023-2026 period.
A huge growth in women’s football is witnessed as the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France in 2019 reportedly had over 1.1 million spectators in the stadiums and more than one billion TV viewers around the globe. The 2023 edition in Australia and New Zealand will be even bigger as it will be the first to be played with 32 teams.
Technology, education, transfer reform and new digital platform have made a massive impact on the game, and the fans are benefiting from the expansion of VAR, football program and FIFA+ to have more communication with each other from every corner of the world.
“It is FIFA’s duty to ensure not only that global tournaments engage with girls and boys, women and men from all corners of the world, but also that football continues to provide opportunities to everyone, wherever they are born,” said Infantino.
The six goals that went into the back of the net on Sunday means that 172 goals were scored in the 2022 World Cup…reports Asian Lite News
The six-goal madness of the final between Argentina and France means that the Qatar World Cup is the tournament with the highest number of goals ever scored.
The six goals that went into the back of the net on Sunday means that 172 goals were scored in the 2022 World Cup, one more than the 171 scored in the 1998 and 2014 editions, reports Xinhua.
This target has been reached thanks to results, such as Spain’s 7-0 thumping of Costa Rica and England’s 6-2 win against Iran, despite six goalless draws in the group stage.
The 2026 edition will almost certainly see a new record of goals scored, with the World Cup due to be expanded to 48 teams, which will mean a tournament with a minimum of 80 matches, depending on whether the FIFA decides on 16 groups of three or 12 groups of four teams.
Qatar passes the baton to 2026 FIFA World Cup hosts
The 2026 edition will see an expanded field of 48 teams and will return to its usual summer window, running June 8-July 3…reports Asian Lite News
President of Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani handed over the hosting mantle of the FIFA World Cup 2026 to Canadian Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra, President of the Mexican Football Federation Yon de Luisa Plazas, and the Representative of the United Nations Ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield in the presence of FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
The official handover ceremony took place after the final match of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at the Lusail Stadium on Sunday night.
On this occasion, Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani expressed his happiness for the success of the State of Qatar in organising an exceptional edition of the World Cup for the first time in the Middle East.
“Qatar had organised an exceptional edition of the World Cup for the first time in the Middle East. I wish Canada, Mexico and the US success in organising the 2026 event,” Sheikh Joaan said.
He also affirmed Qatar’s readiness to present its expertise and experience in hosting the FIFA World Cup, especially in terms of equipment to enhance the role of sport in bringing cultures closer and uniting the world.
The 2026 edition will see an expanded field of 48 teams and will return to its usual summer window, running June 8-July 3.
Toronto and Vancouver are among 16 cities across North America that will host games. In the US, games will be played in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, and New York/New Jersey.
Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara will host the matches in Mexico.
FIFA World Cup: Deschamps dismisses idea that France rely too heavily on Mbappe
Deschamps said his decision to substitute forwards Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele before halftime was purely tactical…reports Asian Lite News
France manager Didier Deschamps said his players suffered from a “lack of energy” in the team’s penalty shootout defeat to Argentina in the World Cup final here on Sunday.
Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria struck first-half goals to give Argentina a 2-0 lead at Lusail Stadium but two late goals from Kylian Mbappe forced the match into extra time. Messi restored Argentina’s advantage in the 108th minute before Mbappe scored a late penalty as the game went to a penalty shootout.
Aurelien Tchouameni and Kingsley Coman failed to convert shootout attempts for France as Argentina lifted the trophy for the first time since 1986.
“We were facing a strong opponent and also lacked a bit of energy from some of our key players,” Deschamps was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency. “But some of our younger players came on and brought freshness and quality. They kept the dream alive but at the end we couldn’t complete that dream.”
The comments follow reports that several France players were hit by a mystery virus before the match. Deschamps did not confirm which of his squad members had been affected, saying only that those who started Sunday’s game were fully fit and healthy.
“The whole of the squad has been facing a tricky situation,” he said. “Maybe that had a physical and psychological impact. I had no concerns about the players who started the match tonight. They were 100 per cent fit but we only had four days to rest after the semifinal (against Morocco) so there is some tiredness perhaps.
“That’s not an excuse. We just didn’t have the same energy as we did in previous games. That’s why for the first hour or so we just weren’t in the match.”
Deschamps said his decision to substitute forwards Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele before halftime was purely tactical.
“I wanted to make a change because I saw that we lacked energy,” he said. “I’m not blaming Giroud or Dembele. They put in a great effort. I just saw they were not 100 per cent and we were also able to bring Kylian (Mbappe) in from the wing.
“Basically we weren’t in great shape tonight and, physically speaking, we lacked that little extra you need when playing a strong team.”
No Spain, but La Liga well represented in World Cup final. (CREDIT: Xinhua)
FC Barcelona were the team that sent most players to the World Cup, (17), but now only Ousmane Dembele and Jules Kounde remain….reports Asian Lite News
The Spanish football team may have flown home after losing to Morocco in a penalty shootout in the last 16 but the Spanish football league is still going to be well-represented in Sunday’s World Cup final between France and Argentina.
Fifteen of the 52 players in the France and Argentina squads currently ply their trade in La Liga, with that rising to 16 if we count Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, who flew back to Spain with a muscle injury but was never replaced in the French squad by coach Didier Deschamps.
Atletico Madrid may not be having the best of seasons, but they are the most represented club with Antoine Griezmann, Rodrigo de Paul, Angel Correa and Nahuel Molina all at Atletico, reports Xinhua.
Bayern Munich also have four players involved in the final, with: Pavard, Upamecano, Coman and Lucas Hernandez all in the French squad although Lucas is now recovering after damaging his cruciate knee ligament.
FC Barcelona were the team that sent most players to the World Cup, (17), but now only Ousmane Dembele and Jules Kounde remain.
The Premier League is also well-represented in the final, with 10 players who are currently playing in England, including Argentine forward Julian Alvarez and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, eight players are in France, seven each in Germany and Italy and two in Portugal, with just one each in the U.S. and Argentina — showing perhaps how many top Argentinian players seek their fortune abroad.
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni.(photo:@Argentina/Twitter)
“Of course, we say that Messi is (the best player ever) and maybe we are narrow-minded because as an Argentine, it’s enjoyable. But I have no doubt that he is the best,” he said…reports Asian Lite News
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said his team would enjoy muted celebrations after reaching the World Cup final with a 3-0 victory over Croatia.
Julian Alvarez scored a brace and Lionel Messi converted a penalty as Argentina won their fifth consecutive match in this tournament after starting with a shock defeat to Saudi Arabia.
“We’ll celebrate because we know it’s exciting to advance to the final,” Scaloni said after the semifinal. “But we still have one step ahead of us. It’s a historic moment that we need to enjoy but that’s it. We need to focus on the upcoming match.”
Scaloni heaped praise on Messi, who now has five goals and three assists in this tournament. His strike here saw him surpass Gabriel Batistuta as Argentina’s all-time leading World Cup scorer with 11 goals, Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.
“Of course, we say that Messi is (the best player ever) and maybe we are narrow-minded because as an Argentine, it’s enjoyable. But I have no doubt that he is the best,” he said.
“I have been saying it for a long time. I’m honoured to see him train and play. It’s exciting because every time you see him play it’s a huge source of motivation for Argentinians. It’s a privilege to have him in our squad.”
Scaloni also thanked the tens of thousands of Argentinian fans present at Lusail stadium, many of whom began singing hours before the 10 pm kick-off and finished well beyond midnight.
“I have the dream job of all Argentines,” he said. “Our people were supporting us throughout and you could feel it. It was unforgettable. We’re all pushing in the same direction and we’re grateful to them.”
Batistuta only needed 12 games to reach his tally, while Messi was making his 25th World Cup appearance on Tuesday – that saw him equal Lothar Matthaus’ all-time record of 25 at the tournament…reports Armstrong Vaz
Lionel Messi kept his World Cup dream on track as he scored one and set up another as Argentina romped home into the final of the FIFA World Cup with an emphatic 3-0 win over 2018 finalists Croatia at Lusail Stadium on Tuesday night.
At the end of half time La Albiceleste led 2-0 as Messi converted a spot kick in the 34th minute to give them the lead and Julian Alvarez struck with a sublime solo effort to give the South American side a comfortable 2-0 lead going into the half time break.
Argentina kept the scoring tempo to add a third one in the 69th minute with Alvarez netting his second of the match.
The Argentina captain, who will be playing his second World Cup final on Sunday, having finished as runner-up in the 2014 final to Germany, will be keen to hold aloft the trophy on December 18 at the Lusail Stadium.
The 35-year-old and his teammates will await the winner of Wednesday’s second semi-final between defending champions France and rank outsiders Morocco to see whom they will take on in the title clash.
The PSG striker’s fifth goal in Qatar took him to 11 World Cup overtaking Gabriel Batistuta in the process and making him the all-time top scorer for Argentina.
France’s Kylian Mbappe too has scored five goals and both of them will be in the race for the Golden Boot award.
Batistuta only needed 12 games to reach his tally, while Messi was making his 25th World Cup appearance on Tuesday – that saw him equal Lothar Matthaus’ all-time record of 25 at the tournament.
Nevertheless, Messi’s strike highlights the Argentina star’s remarkable longevity, playing his fifth World Cup. His first World Cup goal came in 2006 against Serbia and Montenegro. At 18 years and 357 days, it made him Argentina’s youngest ever scorer in the competition.
Coach Lionel Scaloni made two changes to the team that featured from the off against the Netherlands.
With Marcos Acuna suspended, Nicolas Tagliafico was selected at left-back, while Leandro Paredes came into the midfield with defender Lisandro Martinez dropping out.
Zlatko Dalic, meanwhile, stuck with the side that started against Brazil on Friday. Luka Modric became only the fourth player aged 37 or over to start six matches at a World Cup, after Brazil’s Nilton Santos in 1962, Italy’s Dino Zoff in 1982 and England’s Peter Shilton in 1990.
Croatia were fully in control in the opening 25 minutes or so with Argentina not being able to make any telling breakthroughs, but once Argentina were awarded their penalty they did not look back as the momentum shifted quickly.
Croatia dominated the ball, controlling more than 60 percent of possession. Still, they managed to do precious little with it, failing to register a single shot on target. Argentina were ready to sit back and battle as Croatia advanced up the field.
Messi scored the opening goal of the game against Croatia 11 minutes before half-time, blasting into the top-right corner from the penalty spot after Alvarez was fouled by Dominik Livakovic.
After Ivan Perisic failed to catch Emiliano Martinez off the line at the other end, the counter was sprung and Alvarez was soon one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The goalie had no choice but to bring down the striker after he tried to find the back of the net, 1-0.
Alvarez’s first goal of the evening had shades of Diego Mardonna’s greatest goal of the 1986 World Cup against England where he waved past a host of defenders from his own half to score one of the best individual goal of the Word Cup.
The young striker scores a goal of some quality as a failed Croatia corner leads to an Argentinian break. The break soon finds Alvarez, who picks up the ball just past the halfway line and sets off on a run with a couple of Croatian defenders on him. As he gets closer to the box, he is almost dispossessed not once, but twice, before he pokes the ball past Livakovic to send the Argentina fans into delirium, 2-0.
In the second half, Argentina continued to hold the fort down on their end, despite numerous Croatia advances. However, if there is any space afforded then Argentina were quick to act, and added to their advantage with a third goal.
For Argentina’s third goal Messi put in a masterclass as he rushed down near the right touchline, with Josko Gvardiol hot on his heels and after making his way to the penalty box, and as he neared the near post on the right side, he saw Alvarez slightly open. The number 10 slips in a quick pass and Alvarez was able to slot it past the right of the keeper to put Argentina one step closer to the final, 3-0.
Messi praises Argentina coaching staff
Lionel Messi hailed Argentina’s coaching staff for masterminding his team’s 3-0 victory over Croatia in their FIFA World Cup semifinal here on Wednesday.
Messi scored from the penalty spot and gave the assist for Julian Alvarez’s second goal as Argentina set up a berth in Sunday’s final against either Morocco or defending champions France, Xinhua news agency reported.
“This group is very intelligent and knows how to suffer both with and without the ball,” Messi told reporters. “Our coaching staff is great, they pay attention to every little thing.”
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni reverted to a 4-4-2 formation after adopting a 5-3-2 shape for the quarterfinal against the Netherlands, which the Albiceleste won on penalties.
The change allowed Argentina to thwart Croatia’s threat in midfield. While the 2018 runners-up controlled a 61% share of possession, they were suffocated for space and, when dispossessed, left large gaps for Argentina to exploit.
“They let us know about every detail and that helps us to know what to do in all situations,” Messi said.
“We know the game would be played that way. We knew they would have a lot of possession. But we also knew that it would play to our advantage because they were a little untidy and left us with lots of space.”
Messi’s strike saw him surpass Gabriel Batistuta as Argentina’s leading World Cup scorer with 11 goals.
In this tournament, he has five goals and three assists as he vies for the Golden Boot award with France’s Kylian Mbappe, who has five goals and two assists.
“I’m feeling well and strong in every match,” Messi said. “Personally, I’ve felt happy at this World Cup and thankfully, I’ve been able to help the team.”
Messi said Argentina’s 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in the opening match served as a wake-up call to the team.
“It was a big blow,” the Paris Saint-Germain forward said. “We had a 36-game unbeaten run and nobody thought we’d lose that match. It was an acid test and since then we’ve played five finals. Thankfully we’ve been able to win all five. Losing that first game actually helped us to grow.”
FIFA World Cup: Semifinalists show that possession is not everything in Qatar ,
Morocco aren’t fooling anyone after rugged defensive displays against Spain and Portugal have earned them a historic semifinal tie against France…reports Asian Lite News
They are numbers that would make a football ‘purist’ such as Pep Guardiola break out into a cold sweat, or have former Spain coach, Luis Enrique trembling in his bed, but if there is one thing the current World Cup in Qatar is showing, it is that possession of the ball is not everything in football.
Maybe ‘tiki-taka’ isn’t dead (although it is badly wounded in Spain), but the World Cup is most definitely making a very solid case for the defense.
Morocco aren’t fooling anyone after rugged defensive displays against Spain and Portugal have earned them a historic semifinal tie against France.
The Moroccan side had just 23 percent of the ball against Spain and just 22 percent in their 1-0 quarterfinal win against Portugal. The story is a little different from the group stage, where they had less than 35 percent of the ball against Belgium and Croatia and 45 percent against Canada.
The irony is that Morocco conceded the only goal against them in this World Cup in the game where they saw most of the ball.
France, Morocco’s rival in the semifinals, also had less of the ball than England in their quarterfinal, which they won 2-1.
England had 54 percent of the ball, while the French had 36 percent, according to official figures, with 10 percent of the time the ball being ‘disputed’. England also had more chances than the French, but it was Didier Deschamps’ side that are into the semis.
The Netherlands had more of the ball against Argentina, with Louis Van Gaal’s men on top, especially in the second half when they had 50 percent of the ball, with Argentina having just 30 percent and the ball under nobody’s control for the remaining 20 percent.
It should also be pointed out that the Dutch didn’t get into the game until they abandoned their passing system and began hitting long balls into the forward for tall strikers Luuk de Jong and Wout Weghorst, reports Xinhua.
The first quarterfinal between Croatia and Brazil was the most even, with both teams having the ball for just about the same amount of time, although Brazil just shaded possession by 45 percent to 43 percent in the first half.
The decisive factor in that match was that Croatia made better use of the ball they had, with Luka Modric giving 115 passes to his teammates as Croatia once again proved their resilience.
With the semifinals just around the corner, it looks as if France will dominate possession against Morocco, while the clash between Croatia and Argentina promise to be a tactical battle and whether Luka Modric or Leo Messi has the best game will probably be the decisive factor.#
FIFA World Cup: Argentina's Di Maria, De Paul 'fit' for semifinal clash with Croatia.
“Both players are fit,” Scaloni told a news conference ahead of Tuesday’s match in Lusail…reports Asian Lite News
Argentina’s Rodrigo De Paul and Angel Di Maria have overcome injury concerns and will be available to face Croatia in their World Cup semifinal, Albiceleste manager Lionel Scaloni said on Monday.
De Paul was forced off in the second half of Argentina’s quarterfinal victory over the Netherlands on Friday with a hamstring problem while Di Maria has been nursing a quadriceps strain.
“Both players are fit,” Scaloni told a news conference ahead of Tuesday’s match in Lusail.
“We have to think about how many minutes they’ll be able to play. We can wait until tomorrow to make a decision but my understanding is that they will be okay to play.”
Croatia reached the semifinals with successive penalty-shootout wins over Japan and Brazil in their two knockout matches so far while Argentina progressed by beating Australia 2-1 and the Netherlands on penalties.
The winner of the clash at Lusail Iconic stadium will meet either France or Morocco in the final on Sunday.
Argentina will be without Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuna for the semifinal after both players picked up a second yellow card in the clash against the Netherlands, reports Xinhua.
Croatia, meanwhile, have no suspensions and no reported injuries.
“The best recovery (from physical problems) is winning,” Scaloni said. “We were able to reach the semifinals and despite a load of minutes, we’re doing well. We have two players who are sanctioned and we’ll see how we deal with that but generally speaking, the squad is in good shape.”
