Tag: WORLD CUP

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Looking back at India’s 1983 World Cup triumph after 40 years

Today, India is celebrating the completion 40 years of its maiden World Cup victory under the leadership of legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev. …reports Asian Lite News

As India celebrates the 40th anniversary of its World Cup victory, legendary cricketers like Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman took to their social media accounts to thank the 1983 World Cup legends for inspiring many to represent the country someday.

Today, India is celebrating the completion 40 years of its maiden World Cup victory under the leadership of legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev.


Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag in a tweet said, “The catch that changed Indian Cricket forever. Kapil Paaji with that catch of Viv Richards and with his team of great contributors and a passionate dream led India to World Cup glory. What a day!”



“25th June, 1983 – 40 years since that landmark day when Kapil Paaji and his boys won India the World Cup and it inspired an entire generation of youth to take up Cricket and was an instrumental moment in making Cricket what it is in India. #WorldCup,” wrote Former India batter and current National Cricket Academy (NCA) chief VVS Laxman in a tweet.

Former India batter Yuvraj Singh tweeted, “They did it first! A team of legends who defied expectations with their courage and conviction. Congratulations on #40Years to that great day and thank you for an unforgettable journey that paved the way for countless dreams.”

The Board of Control for Cricket in India also remembered the historical day and tweeted, #OnThisDay in 1983 A historic day & a landmark moment for Indian cricket #TeamIndia, led by @therealkapildev, clinched the World Cup title.”



Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah took to his Twitter and wrote, “#OnThisDay in 1983, India lifted the Cricket World Cup for the first time, etching the name in golden letters! A monumental triumph that ignited a cricketing revolution and forever changed the course of Indian cricket. #1983WorldCup@BCCI.”
1983 World Cup winner Kirti Azad too shared a post where the squad was spotted in an airplane together.


Azad took to twitter and wrote, “The World Cup champion 1983 team travelling together to celebrate our 40th anniversary victory on 25th June, 35,000 feet up in the air. We are proud Indians and love India Bharat Mata Ki Jai [?]@therealkapildev @RaviShastriOfc @BCCI @JayShah.”
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To say that no one expected India to even be at Lord’s on the day of the final, let alone hold the trophy on the famed balcony, would be an understatement.

In 1983, the World Cup final was played between India and West Indies and the latter won the toss and opted to bowl first. The Kapil Dev-led side managed to score just 183 runs as Andy Roberts took three wickets while Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, and Larry Gomes picked up two wickets each. Defending 183, India did a good job of keeping a check on the Windies run flow, reducing the side to 57/3.

Soon after, the team from the Caribbean was reduced to 76/6 and India was the favourites from there on to win the title. Mohinder Amarnath took the final wicket of Michael Holding to give India their first-ever World Cup title win. In the finals, West Indies was bowled out for 140, and as a result, India won the match by 43 runs.

Kapil Dev lifting the trophy at the balcony of Lord’s Cricket Ground still remains an image to savour for all the Indian fans.

In the finals, Mohinder Amarnath was chosen as the Man of the Match as he scored 26 runs with the bat and also picked up three wickets with the ball. India has been a regular participant in the World Cup from its beginning to the latest edition. The first edition was held in 1975 and from there on, it has taken place a span of every four years.

West Indies won the first two World Cup titles (1975, 1979) and was the runner-up in 1983. India has won the title two times, in 1983 and in 2011.
MS Dhoni captained the 2011 team to win their second title after 28 years. Australia has won the tournament five times (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2015). (ANI)

ALSO READ: Kohli completes 12 years in Test cricket

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World Cup heroes return to action with La Liga

FIH World Cup 2023: Indian men's hockey team reaches Odisha for World Cup .(Photo credit: FIFA World Cup twitter)

The Serie A is among the most competitive leagues in the world and will see FIFA World Cup winners Angel di Maria and Paulo Dybala battle it out for Juventus FC and A.S. Roma respectively…reports Asian Lite News

World Cup heroes from France, Argentina, Brazil and other footballers that represented their respective nations in the month-long extravaganza in Qatar will return to action when the Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A and French Ligue 1 will resume their matches after a short winter break.

After locking horns in the FIFA World Cup final, Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappe and Golden Ball winner Lionel Messi will come together alongside several other sensational players for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Ligue1. The French club’s fixture on the December 29 is likely to also feature World Cup stars like Brazil’s Neymar Jr. and Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi.

Viacom18 Sports, India’s newest premier sports network, will continue bringing the biggest stars of the recently-concluded FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 to Indian viewers on JioCinema and Sports18. La Liga, Ligue1, and Serie A will be streaming live on JioCinema for free as club football action returns to Europe. Matches from these leagues will also continue to air on Sports18.

The La Liga will see the return of 2022 FIFA World Cup winners like Rodrigo De Paul for Atletico Madrid and Alejandro Gomez for Sevilla FC, along with members of the silver medallist French squad like Ousmane Dembele for FC Barcelona and Antoine Griezmann for Atletico Madrid.

The Serie A is among the most competitive leagues in the world and will see FIFA World Cup winners Angel di Maria and Paulo Dybala battle it out for Juventus FC and A.S. Roma respectively. French stars like Adrien Rabiot will return to action for Juventus while Theo Hernandez will kick off for A.C. Milan on January 4, 202,3 as they vie to conquer Italy through the second half of the season, the broadcaster informed in a release on Tuesday.

Ligue1 will return to our TV, smartphone, and tablet screens first, as competition will resume on December 28 with AC Ajaccio facing Angers. La Liga will kick off on December 29 with a match-up between Girona and Rayo Vallecano. The Serie A resumes in the New Year on January 4 with a clash between Salernitana and reigning champions A.C. Milan. Sassuolo faces Sampdoria at the same time.

Viewers can continue to watch their preferred leagues by downloading JioCinema (iOS & Android) and can also catch all the action on Sports18-1 and Sports 18-1 HD.

ALSO READ-Hardik Pandya to lead India in Sri Lanka T20Is

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World cup example for ‘Uncertainty’ and ‘Hand of God’

The interesting part is that these great individuals break through one’s personal or loyalty barriers. Their performances are marvelled at and one wants them to achieve the highest echelon possible…writes Yajurvindra Singh

Sports lovers around the world were in a state of stunned silence in anticipation of the outcome. The reason is that the football World Cup ’22 final between Argentina and France had gone into penalty kicks. The question was whether the superstar and living legend of Argentina, Lionel Messi, after 16 years of participating in it, would finally lift the famous FIFA World Cup. This, as most felt, would be his last attempt to win the cup.


The phrase “Hand of God” made famous by Diego Maradona, in what is termed in a very loose way, somehow always seems to find itself blessing the legends of the sport. Messi, the champion footballer, was the one to receive it when most required at this World Cup. Argentina was one of the favourite sides not only because of the way they play the game of football but also because one wished Messi to win it for his immense contribution to the sport.

They did so in splendid style and richly deserved it.

Argentina’s success was a good example of the uncertainty that sports bring to the table. The football world was shocked when they lost their opening match of the World Cup to Saudi Arabia. Argentina, thereafter, needed to win both their matches to qualify. However, the loss put a shadow of doubt on their ability. Champions, they say, revel when the chips are down. Messi did so in his team’s progress after the initial defeat. It seemed he took the onus on himself and his magical skills came forth in every game they played thereafter.

Memories of the feats achieved by legends are what keep sports alive. The achievements of Jesse Owens in athletics in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, Don Bradman’s unbeatable batting record in cricket, Dhyan Chand’s incredible mastery in hockey, and Pele and Maradona’s breath-taking performances in football are some timeless moments of greatness etched in sports history.

Legends such as Messi, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Tiger Woods, Usain Bolt, LeBron James and several others, in their respective sports, evoked the emotion that everyone around them wanted them to do well. The interesting part is that these great individuals break through one’s personal or loyalty barriers. Their performances are marvelled at and one wants them to achieve the highest echelon possible.

The words of Albert Einstein come to one’s mind, “a genius is 1% talent and 99% hard work”. This has been, thereafter, used to measure success as well. One still questions this saying, as, most of the individual world-class sportsmen have the talent and put in the hard work too. But, just a few seem to go beyond it. God definitely has that blessed percentage in hand. ‘Luck’ is what one associates it with, but as one says very commonly that ” one makes one’s own luck”.

Indian cricket too has had such memorable moments. The last being, India’s World Cup win in 2011. Sachin Tendulkar, after two decades of playing the game and on his 5th attempt to be a part of a World Cup-winning side, finally achieved his dream. The Indian fans were not only elated by the country’s win but also thought it a fitting tribute to a man who had done yeomen service to Indian cricket.

The celebrations that one saw on the Argentina team’s return to Buenos Aires reminded one of three such moments in Indian cricket.

The 1st was on the return of the 1971 side, who under the leadership of Ajit Wadekar, won the 1st Test series win against England in England. This they achieved after winning a series against the West Indies as well. The motorcade welcome followed by a red carpet and full house at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai was a sight to savour. The win at the Oval in London was achieved on the auspicious day of Ganesh Chaturthi. The Gods, as one said, were with India.

The 2nd massive celebration was when India, the rank outsiders, beat the West Indies in 1983 to win the Cricket World Cup at Lords in England. The bunch of cricketers led by Kapil Dev were received, both in Delhi and Mumbai, with such an abundance of splendour that one just cried with joy. The victory was a god-sent special moment for Indian cricket. To dethrone, the unconquerable West Indian side and lift the crown seemed to be like a victory of David over Goliath.

The last and 3rd occasion one celebrated a glorious victory in India was when Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit his customary ‘helicopter shot’ for a six to win the 2011 World Cup. India were the favourites to win and to do so one felt was a blessing in disguise.

Since then, India has had individual success in several of sports, however, team success has eluded them.

India will be hosting the Cricket World Cup in the latter part of 2023. This one feels will be the farewell to arms for two Indian cricket legends, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Both have brought joy to the millions of Indian fans from the day they stepped onto the cricket field to play for their country.

India, winning the Cup would be just the ideal way to bid them adieu. The Hand of God is all they require to do so.

ALSO READ-Hardik to get India white-ball captaincy in near future

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-Top News Qatar Sports

Qatar Emir Lauds WC Success

Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said Qatar World Cup provided an opportunity for the people from different parts of the world to learn about the “richness of our culture and the originality of our values.”…reports Asian Lite News

Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said that Qatar has fulfilled its promise to organise an exceptional championship as the first FIFA World Cup hosted by the Arab country came to a close on Sunday with Lionel Messi-led Argentina winning the title.

Sheikh Tamim expressed hope that the success made by the country in hosting the tournament will be a motive for giving more towards the service and progress to Qatar.

The Emir wrapped a robe around Lionel Messi on stage next to the FIFA World Cup trophy after Argentina won the Qatar 2022 World Cup final.

“I congratulate the Argentine national team for winning the Qatar World Cup 2022, and also the French national team, and I thank all the teams for their wonderful play, and the fans who enthusiastically encouraged them.”

“In conclusion, we have fulfilled our promise to organise an exceptional championship from the Arab countries, which provided an opportunity for the peoples of the world to learn about the richness of our culture and the originality of our values,” Sheikh Tamim tweeted.

The Emir also thanked the International Federation of Football Associations for the “constructive cooperation” in organising the tournament. “I hope that the success we have achieved in hosting the tournament will be a motive for providing more service and upliftment to our dear country.”

“With the end of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, I extend my thanks to all those who contributed from the fans, volunteers, individuals, institutions and ministries to the success of the tournament and showing it, the State of Qatar and the Arab world in an honourable way to millions of viewers around the world,” he added.

National Day

Meanwhile, the Emir congratulated the people and residents of Qatar on the occasion of Qatar National Day which coincided with the final match of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

“We congratulate our people and residents on this good land on the occasion of our National Day, which this year coincides with a festive atmosphere with Qatar’s guests from all over the world at the end of an exceptional world football tournament. Every year, Qatar is in glory and elevation, and may God keep our country safe, secure and stable,” he said.

Closing ceremony

The closing ceremony of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 was held Sunday at Lusail Iconic Stadium ahead of the final match between Argentina and France, featuring impressive shows that blended Qatar’s heritage with its modernity and development.

During the ceremony, the State of Qatar thanked and bid farewell to the whole world after hosting an exceptional, unique, record-breaking and indelible World Cup tournament.

The ceremony featured songs of the World Cup official soundtrack that celebrated the convergence of the peoples of the world over the course of the tournament that continued for 29 days. Davido and Aisha performed ‘Hayya Hayya’, Ozuna and Gims sang Arheboo, and Balqees, Rahma Riad, Manal, Nora Fatehi sang ‘Light the Sky’.

The closing ceremony began with Qatari artist Dana’s rendition of ‘What A Wonderful World’, followed by a poem by Tamim Al Barghouti that celebrated bringing peoples together to celebrate football despite cultural differences.

The 12-minute ceremony witnessed the lighting of 32 balls resembling celestial bodies decorated with the flags of the countries that participated in the World Cup. Two balls remained to symbolize the finalists France and Argentina.

Later in the night, Argentina came out victorious in the intensely fought final in what was likely the last World Cup for Argentine talisman Lionel Messi. After finishing all square at the end of the second half of extra time, Argentina won the final 4-2 on penalties.

Lionel Messi was awarded the Golden Ball, the honour given to the best player of a FIFA World Cup, after a thrilling final at Lusail which saw the legendary striker’s World Cup dreams turn into reality following a 4-2 win over France in penalties.

Messi, playing his final FIFA World Cup this year, was in top form throughout the entire tournament. Scoring crucial goals, converting penalties and assisting his teammates in scoring, the 35-year-old legend did it all.

Argentina won its third World Cup, and its first since 1986.

ALSO READ-MESSI’S ARGENTINA CONQUERED THE FINAL FRONTIER

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MBAPPE, THE GAME CHANGER OF WC FINAL WINS HEARTS

Fearlessly violating the sound-decibel rules, crackers started busting with the Argentinian fans being at the top of their cheers…reports Asian Lite News

In the final battle of the FIFA Soccer World Cup Final -2022, Kolkata’s euphoria was since the beginning tilted towards Argentina or to be precise towards Lionel Messi. However, by the end of the match, France’s Kylian Mbappe left a deep-rooted impact in the hearts of the city’s soccer- lovers as the “man of no error,” who could not ultimately lead his team to victory and hence emerged as the “tragic hero”.

The preparation was there since early in the evening with local clubs in Kolkata having finished the preparations for live viewing of the match in giant screens hosted at different street corners. The preparatory emotions were clearly tilting towards Argentina or rather towards Lionel Messi, with nearly 90 per cent of the viewers flocking in front of those giant screens sporting the Argentinian white-blue jerseys.

As the match started with the first-half being thoroughly dominated by the Latin American squad leading by two goals, the sky all over the ‘City of Joy’ went euphoric with the slogan — Messi-Messi. Fearlessly violating the sound-decibel rules, crackers started busting with the Argentinian fans being at the top of their cheers.

For most of them, including the State Fire Services Minister Sujit Basu, it was a foregone conclusion that Argentina was heading towards a clear victory with the only speculation till the beginning of the second half was what would be the exact winning margin for the Latin American squad.

However, the second half emerged as the shocker for the Argentinian fans as Kylian Mbappe emerged as the game-changer scoring two successive goals thus bringing the equalizers for France. The common discussion that was going around among the soccer-fanatics was that when the popular expectation was that the final match would be a show between France and Messi, this dark-skinned man was turning the trend otherwise.

However, the euphoria of Kolkata’s soccer-fans over the equalizers by Mbappe did not match that over Argentina’s performance in the first half. But, the majority of the viewers in front of the screens streaming the match live were witnessed biting their nails during the entire second half.

The extra-time was equally nerve-racking till the time Argentina went ahead again when the Messi-euphoria gushed out again with crackers bursting. However, none was quite sure of the return of the Mbappe tsunami, which turned out to be true with the repeat equalizer soon. So, when the match finally went for the tiebreaker, the common feeling was — It is anybody’s match now.

However, finally again the city erupted with the “Messi-Messi” slogans, for some Kylian Mbappe turned out to be the “tragic hero” for the day.

As rightly pointed out and concluded by the champion striker of Indian football in yesteryear– It is soccer who won tonight.

ALSO READ-Golden Ball for Messi, Boot for Mbappe

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FIFA World Cup: Messi dazzles as Argentina win their third title

In the tie-breaker, Kylan Mbappe opened the scoring for France but the subsequent kicks found the French players failing to beat Martinez in the Argentinian goal..reports ARMSTRONG VAZ

Lionel Messi’s dream of winning the FIFA World Cup finally materialised on Sunday at Lusail Stadium with Argentina surviving a few anxious moments to register a fighting 4-2 penalty shoot win over defending champions France.

At the end of the full-time play the teams were locked two all and both the teams added a goal apiece in the extra time to make it three all and take the title clash into a penalty shoot-out.

In the tie-breaker, Kylan Mbappe opened the scoring for France but the subsequent kicks found the French players failing to beat Martinez in the Argentinian goal, one being saved by the keeper and one off the mark.

Although Kolo Mani scored for France it was not enough as their rivals were successful in all four kicks.

For Argentina, Messi scored first followed by his three teammates to give their captain a perfect farewell present as the 35-year-old has said the Qatar World Cup will be his last one.

With the pre-match talk centring around Mbappe and Messi and their big role in the final and they did not disappoint — Mbappe scored a hattrick while Messi scored two goals in the match.

Six goals, three from the penalty spot and a lot of extra time drama kept the nearly 90,000 fans on their toes and took the match into a penalty shoot-out.

Messi scored a goal in the 109th minute to give Argentina the lead for the second time in the match but Mbappe scored his third and the second with a spot-kick in the 118th minute to tie the scores at three-all.

The final saw two different aspects of the defending champion’s game. In the first half, they were literally passengers while they roared back to match their rivals late in the second half.

It also saw both teams opening the scoring from the penalty spot and both the key man for their respective teams making no mistakes to slam home from the 12-yard distance.

Argentina went into the lead in the 23rd minute through Messi and added a second one through Angel Di Maria to go into half-time leading 2 -0.

The Les Blues bounced back to draw level and fired their first goal adding a second one with Mbappe netting both goals in the 80th and 88th minute.

Argentina, returning to the same stadium where they began their tournament campaign and suffered a shocking 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia, were not the same side to the Asian side.

Having found fluency and understanding among themselves after playing six matches, the Argentinians were all over France’s defense.

Argentina had another advantage with thousands of their supporters chanting, singing and beating the drums to pump up their players.

Argentina started off well and took a couple of shots which landed straight to keeper Hugo Lloris. At the other end, France could manage just one shot at goal in the opening half.

In the first half, Argentina had made sure to cut the supply line to Mbappe with Antoine Griezmann nowhere functioning to the key role in the midfield for the French side.

Argentina on the other hand put to effective use Angel Di Maria on the left flank. Messi was repeatedly squaring or floating the ball to send some probing crosses deep inside France’s defence.

Watched by 89,966 spectators Argentina went into the lead through a spot kick conversion. The Polish referee pointed to the spot Di Maria was brought down inside the box.

Messi, who stepped up to take the kick, sent Lloris the wrong way to make it 1-0.

Argentina added a second one which started from Messi on the right after a couple of passes again came to him and the mercurial left-footed magician split open the defense with a deft touch for Di Maria to put Argentina 2-0.

Down by two goals, French coach Didier Deschamps made two changes close to half-time to bring in a change in fortunes.

Argentina continued to dictate terms but could not finish off the match with a third one as Lloris kept out a couple of goalbound shots.

The game came to life with the first of Mhappe’s two goals.

First, he converted from the penalty spot and then added a second one to make it 2-2.

There was more drama at both ends when France claimed a second spot kick but instead, the French striker got a yellow card from the referee.

At the other end, Lloris was called upon to bring off a brilliant save to tip over Messi’s elegant drive for a flag kick in injury-added time of the second half.

More goalmouth action followed at both ends with Argentina repulsing a few dangerous moves to take the match into extra time.

The extra time did not see the same level of fluency from Argentina and France too, who indulged in some clumsy tackles with the Polish referee time and again having to keep matters under control.

In the second half of extra time, Lloris once again brought off a save of Messi who create a chance out of nowhere.

But it was not long before the French keeper could not deny Argentina from scoring after keeping out a shot a first time, Lloris’ defence caved in the 109th minute of the match.

ALSO READ: Messi, Mbappe battle for Golden Boot

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LaLiga well represented in FIFA World Cup final

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.

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Scaloni: No big celebrations, we still have one step ahead of us

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.”

ALSO READ-Possession is not everything in Qatar 2022

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‘GOAT’ takes Argentina one step away from history

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.”

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WC for Portugal was most ambitious dream of my career’

FIFA World Cup: WC dream was beautiful while it lasted, says Ronaldo on Portugal's exi. (Credit : twitter)

“I fought for it. I fought hard for this dream,” said Ronaldo, who is currently without a club after leaving Manchester United by mutual consent in November…reports Asian Lite News

Cristiano Ronaldo has appeared to acknowledge that his dream of winning the World Cup with Portugal is over after the team’s elimination from football’s showpiece tournament in Qatar.

Portugal were denied a berth in the semifinals after they suffered a 1-0 quarterfinal loss to Morocco in Doha on Saturday.

“Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career,” Ronaldo said in an Instagram post on Sunday. “Fortunately, I won many titles of international dimension, including for Portugal, but putting the name of our country on the highest level in the world was my biggest dream.”

Ronaldo started on the bench for the second consecutive match at Al Thumama stadium after scoring just once — a penalty against Ghana — in four outings at this World Cup.

The defeat to Morocco was almost certainly the 37-year-old’s last appearance in football’s showpiece tournament. The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus star cut a distraught figure as he walked off the pitch in tears immediately after the final whistle.

Ronaldo, who has been capped 195 times and scored a record 118 goals for his country, will be 41 when the next World Cup begins in the United States, Canada and Mexico, reports Xinhua.

“I fought for it. I fought hard for this dream,” said Ronaldo, who is currently without a club after leaving Manchester United by mutual consent in November.

“I’ve scored in five World Cups over 16 years, always alongside great players and supported by millions of Portuguese people, I gave my all. I left everything on the pitch. I never turned my back on the fight and I never gave up on that dream.

“Unfortunately, yesterday the dream ended. I just want everyone to know that much has been said, much has been written, much has been speculated, but my dedication to Portugal has not changed for an instant. I was always one more person fighting for everyone’s goal and I would never turn my back on my teammates and my country.

“For now, there’s not much more to say. Thank you, Portugal. Thank you, Qatar. The dream was beautiful while it lasted…Now, I hope that time can offer the best advice and allow everyone to draw their own conclusions.”

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