by Ryland James Agence France Presse SARANSK, Russia — Yuya Osako exacted sweet revenge for Japan on Tuesday as the Blue Samurai beat Colombia 2-1, becoming the first Asian side ever to beat a South American team at the World Cup. Osako’s 73rd-minute winner meant the Japanese avenged their 4-1 mauling in the group stages of Brazil 2014 as Colombia played with a man down for 86 minutes in Saransk. After leaving Brazil without a […]
Tag: World Cup
Kane grabs late winner for England, Belgium beat Panama
by Daniel Hicks © Agence France-Presse VOLGOGRAD, Russia (AFP) — Harry Kane grabbed a dramatic late winner for England on Monday, powering home a header in injury time of their World Cup opener after Belgium had earlier swept past Panama. Kane’s second goal of the game secured a 2-1 victory after it looked as if England had squandered their chance to take all three points after being rocked by a Tunsian equaliser which followed a bright […]
UPDATED: World Cup holder Germany crashes to Mexico defeat
by Martyn Wood Agence France Presse Defending champions Germany crashed to the first defeat in their opening game of a World Cup since 1982 as Hirving Lozano’s clinical finish earned Mexico a shock 1-0 victory on Sunday. The highly-rated PSV Eindhoven forward struck the winner on 35 minutes after a blistering counter-attack at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow as Mexico beat Germany for just the second time in history. Germany’s preparations for the tournament were […]
Griezmann hits historic VAR penalty as France squeezes past Australia
by Justin Davis Agence France Presse Antoine Griezmann scored the first VAR-assisted penalty awarded in the history of the World Cup as title hopefuls France battled to a 2-1 win over gutsy Australia in Kazan on Saturday. The Atletico Madrid star wrote his name into the history books after he went down under a tackle from Josh Risdon in the penalty box in the second half of the Group C fixture. Referee Andres Cunha from […]
Messi misses penalty as Iceland holds Argentina for famous draw
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Argentina were held to a draw by World Cup debutants Iceland Saturday, with Lionel Messi blowing a gilt-edged opportunity for victory when he missed a penalty. Sergio Aguero scored an eye-catching opener for the two-time world champions in the 19th minute but it was almost immediately canceled out by Alfred Finnbogason, whose team then held on in the face of immense pressure. It was a major embarrassment for Argentina and raises questions about […]
Ronaldo hat-trick steals the show as Portugal and Spain draw classic
By Andy Scott Agence France Presse Cristiano Ronaldo made it clear that he means business at this World Cup after his stunning hat-trick secured a 3-3 draw here with Spain in a tournament classic and saw him reach another career landmark. The Real Madrid superstar crashed in an 88th-minute free-kick to earn a point for the European champions in this Group B opener, after a second-half goal from Nacho had put the Spaniards 3-2 ahead. […]
Shellshocked Spain faces Portugal in early World Cup treat
by Guy Jackson © Agence France-Presse MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Spain and Portugal clash on Friday in an early highlight of the World Cup in Russia as the Spanish camp insist they are united despite this week’s extraordinary sacking of coach Julen Lopetegui. Egyptian fans, meanwhile, will hold their breath to see if prolific Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah really has recovered from the shoulder injury he suffered in the Champions League final as the Pharaohs take […]
Russia prove doubters wrong — for now
by Dmitry Zaks © Agence France-Presse Moscow, Russia (AFP) — Russia have proved the doubters wrong — for the moment. The World Cup hosts showed nerves of steel and ruthless finishing in thumping Saudi Arabia 5-0 in the tournament’s opening match before an anxious crowd of nearly 80,000 in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on Thursday. The emphatic result transformed the men in red from villains to heroes and gave Russians a rare sporting reason to rejoice. […]
Messi, the superstar illuminating a small Russian town
by Pedro Reparaz © Agence France-Presse BRONNITSY, Russia (AFP) — Lionel Messi’s arrival in Bronnitsy, a quiet town with 20,000 residents some 50km southeast of Moscow, has brought an unprecedented level of attention to a place most renowned for its Archangel Michael cathedral. But as the euphoric shouts echoing around a temporary stand suggests, its selection as Argentina’s team base camp has transformed it into one of the epicentres of the World Cup. Flags bearing Messi’s […]
2018 FIFA World Cup kicks off; host nation Russia faces Saudi Arabia in opening match
By Vivem Soriano Eagle News Service The highly anticipated FIFA World Cup begins tonight as the host nation Russia battles Saudi Arabia in Moscow’s 81,000-seater Luzhniki Stadium at 11:00 PM (GMT+8). Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are expected to be in attendance. The 21st edition of the World Cup will be hosted for the first time by Russia and will be played in 11 cities – Moscow, St. […]
US, Mexico and Canada win race to host 2026 World Cup
by Guy Jackson Agence France Presse MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — The United States, Mexico and Canada will host the 2026 World Cup after a clear victory over underdogs Morocco in a vote by FIFA member nations on Wednesday. The joint North American bid received 134 of the 203 votes, while Morocco polled 65 in the ballot at a FIFA Congress held in Moscow on the eve of the 2018 World Cup. It means global […]
Life and death: World Cup rivalry turns violent in Bangladesh
by Shafiqul Alam / Sam Jahan © Agence France-Presse DHAKA, Bangladesh (AFP) — The World Cup is arousing high passions in Bangladesh, where machete-wielding fans of Brazil and Argentina have clashed in the streets and flags of the two countries are so ubiquitous that some people want to ban them. Ignoring the lack of any obvious link to the South American giants, and the absence of their national team — which is ranked 194th […]





