Category: Football

DOHA: England crashed out of the World Cup against an all too familiar backdrop of heroic failure and agonising over yet another crucial missed penalty in a major championship.

But as the Three Lions packed their bags on Sunday there was much about the circumstances of their exit that felt like a break from the past.

No anguished wailing about tactical failings or technical ineptitude. No demands for a root-and-branch review of English football, and no calls for a change of manager.

Instead, a growing consensus that Gareth Southgate should — if he wants to — be allowed to continue for at least one more tournament.

The 52-year-old manager was roundly lambasted after his team’s two previous tournaments, blamed for an inability to tweak his gameplan mid-course during the 2018 World Cup semi-final loss to Croatia and last year’s European Championship final defeat to Italy at Wembley.

Yet as the desert dust settled on Saturday’s 2-1 loss to France, few were accusing Southgate of tactical incompetence.

Southgate’s decision to go on the front foot against the world champions, opting for a 4-3-3 formation, came within a whisker of paying off.

“We wanted to go toe to toe, we felt that was the way we wanted to approach the tournament,” Southgate said afterwards. “We’ve done that.”

“We’ve had consistent performances across three tournaments but tonight is probably the best we’ve played against a major nation across the period that I’ve been in charge.

“But we have fallen short and the scoreline is all that matters and that’s hard to take.”

Southgate’s current contract runs through to the end of 2024, meaning he will have the chance to lead England at the next European Championship.

The England manager, however, said that he plans to take time to reflect on his future before deciding whether to stay or go.

READ: ‘Match is evenly balanced,’ batting coach Yousuf on Multan Test 

AL KHOR: Harry Kane missed a late penalty as England’s World Cup campaign ended with a disappointing 2-1 defeat against holders France in the last quarter final of the FIFA World Cup 2022, here at Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday.

France have reached the semifinals for the seventh time in the World Cups and will now face first time qualifiers Morocco, who earlier upset Ronaldo’s Portugal by 1-0 in the third quarter final.

France took a lead in 17th minute when Aurelien Tchouameni fired a powerful drive from 25 yards out and through the Belligham’s leg to beat English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford into the bottom left corner.

Kane, however, equalized with a penalty after the break when Bukayo Saka was tripped by Tchouameni in the area.

Olivier Giroud regained the lead for France with a header in the 78th minute on a superb cross from Antoine Griezmann.

With pressure mounting, England were awarded second penalty six minutes from full time when Theo Hernandez fouled substitute Mason Mount in the box, but Kane sent the spot kick over the bar and missed a golden opportunity to level the scores.

READ: Morocco upset Portugal 1-0 to book historic semi-final spot

DOHA: Brave Morocco continued their dream run in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 as they downed Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal 1-0 to book a spot in the semi-finals for the first time in their history.

Morocco added Portugal to their list of scalped European nations as Youssef En-Nesyri’s first-half goal sealed a tense 1-0 victory in their first-ever world cup quarter.

Following their astounding victory, Morocco became the first African nation and Arab team to progress into the semi-finals of the mega event.

En-Nesyri converted Morocco’s strong comeback after the break into a match-winning goal as he executed the header off Yahia Attiyat Allah El Idrissi’s assist in the 42nd minute.

Portugal tried to pile pressure on Morocco after the break but the injury-hit side managed to hold on despite missing three of their four top defenders and going down to 10 men in extra time.

Fernando Santos then sent in five-time Ballon D’Or winner Ronaldo in the early phase of the second half but he too, could not rescue his side from the world cup exit.

Instead, it was another historic day for Morocco, having previously upset Belgium and Spain, on penalties.

Walid Regragui’s side will now face England or holders France in the semi-finals at Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday.

The dark horses of this world cup can back themselves for another astounding triumph in the ongoing mega event as they have conceded only once in five matches.

READ: Duckett, Brook strengthen England lead after Pakistan’s batting debacle

LUSAIL: Lionel Messi’s Argentina edged Netherlands 4-3 on the penalty shoot-out at the Lusail Stadium to qualify for the semi-finals after the nailbiting last-eight tie finished 1-1 at the end of extra time.

The enthralling quarter-final finished at 2-2 after the extra time leveller from Dutch substitute Wout Weghorst neutralized Argentina’s lead in the closing moments of the injury time.

Argentina started the match on a high as Albiceleste found the breakthrough in the first courtesy of their star player Messi, who darted through the midfield and threaded a pass into the box. Nahuel Molina latched onto it and fired the ball past Andries Noppert.

Both sides went hard at each other in the heated last-eight clash that saw the second-most yellow card in any match of the ongoing world cup and the Dutch as a result, made a costly error when Marcos Acuna dribbled into the box but brought down by the trailing leg of the defender and referee wasted no time to award Argentina a penalty.

Messi stepped for Argentina with calmness and composure and buried the penalty into the corner to put his side in command.

Following Messi’s strike, it seemed to be a straightforward affair for Argentina before the Dutch substitute Weghorst glimmered a ray of hope with a sensational header in the 83rd minute.

It was still not enough for Louis van Gaal’s side to turn the tables and they desperately needed to fire an equalizer to force the match into extra time and Weghorst stepped up again for his team with a brilliant strike off Teun Koopmeiners’ assist in the 11th minute of the stoppage time.

The pumped-up Dutch, however, failed to put on a show in the shoot-out as Virgil van Dijk came out to open for his side but Emiliano Martínez dived to his right to save. Messi followed and made no mistake before Martinez saved again from Steven Berghuis.

Those two misses were enough to haunt the Dutch as even despite a miss from Enzo Fernandez, Argentina held on to win the shoot-out and stormed into the semi-finals.

READ: Croatia stun Brazil on penalties to book semi-final spot

AL RAYYAN: 2018 runners-up Croatia stunned tournament favourites Brazil 4-2 on the penalty shoot-out to make their way into the second consecutive semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup.

The enthralling quarter-final finished at 1-1 after the extra time as Bruno Petkovic neutralized what was expected to be the match-winning goal from Neymar Jr at the brink of the first half of extra time.

The teams were evenly matched throughout the nail-biting contest and put on a defiant show to bar the opposition from breaking the deadlock and eventually forced the match to enter extra time.

Brazil’s star player Neymar Jr finally broke the deadlock at the end of the first half of extra time, working one-twos with Rodrygo and Lucas Paqueta before rounding goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic to score.

Bruno Petkovic, however, neutralized Brazil’s lead minutes later to keep Croatia alive in the world cup. Mislav Orsic collected down the left flank and drove it to the edge of the box and picked Petkovic in the middle, who swept a left-footed strike towards the goal, which took a deflection from Marquinhos and deceived Alisson Becker before crashing in the nets.

Five-time champions Brazil then put on a dismal show in the shoot-out as Rodrygo, who came out to open for Tite’s side, saw his strike blocked by Livakovic.

Marquinhos, who had to score for Brazil to keep his side in the game, hit the woodwork at the most crucial time and top favourites Brazil crashed out as Croatia converted all four penalties.

READ: Abrar Ahmed picks his favourite wicket from dream Test debut 

DOHA: Spain sacked coach Luis Enrique on Thursday after the 2010 champions were dumped out of the World Cup by Morocco at the last-16 stage, quickly naming his replacement as under-21s boss Luis de la Fuente.

Spain started their campaign in Qatar in style by hammering Costa Rica 7-0 and qualified for the knockout phase despite a shock 2-1 defeat to Japan.

They were strong favourites for their last-16 match against Morocco but crashed out on penalties after the game finished goalless following extra-time.

“Both the president, Luis Rubiales, and the sporting director, Jose Francisco Molina, have told the coach their decision,” the RFEF (football association) said in a statement.

They said they wanted to thank Luis Enrique and his staff for their work, but had decided to start a “new project”.

Shortly afterwards, the federation announced that De la Fuente, who led Spain’s men’s team to the silver medal at last year’s Olympics, was the new man in the hotseat.

Luis Enrique had said he wanted to stay on as coach after the defeat by Morocco on Tuesday.

“I am very happy with the Spanish FA, the president and with (the sporting director),” he said.

“If it was up to me I would stay all my life, but that is not the case. I have to think calmly what is the best for me and for the national team.”

Spain last lifted a major trophy a decade ago at Euro 2012, while they have not won a single knockout game at the Word Cup since triumphing in South Africa in 2010.

New Project

Luis Enrique took over in 2018 after Spain’s disappointing showing at the World Cup in Russia, and led La Roja to the semi-finals of Euro 2020, where they were also beaten on penalties, by Italy.

His time as Spain coach was characterised by a firm commitment to maintaining possession.

They attempted more than 1,000 passes against Morocco but ended up with nothing to show for it, forcing Yassine Bounou into only one save before the shootout.

“We dominated the game but we lacked a goal,” lamented Luis Enrique. “We could have been more effective in the final third, but I am more than satisfied with what my players did.

“They represented perfectly what my idea of football is.”

The RFEF announced De la Fuente as Luis Enrique’s replacement and his appointment will be ratified next week by the federation’s board of directors.

“The new coach will make his debut in March for Euro 2024 qualifiers, taking charge of his first games against Norway and Scotland,” said the RFEF in a statement.

De la Fuente will be officially presented on Monday as the coach.

The 61-year-old is a coach who also likes his team to keep hold of the ball, but is more flexible than his predecessor and willing to try other strategies when necessary.

Many of the young players in the Spain World Cup squad previously played for De la Fuente at youth level.

Last year De la Fuente coached the Spain national team in a friendly against Lithuania, using U21 players, as the first team squad and staff were forced to quarantine after one positive Covid case, as protocol demanded at the time.

READ: List of local players in silver category for PSL 8 Draft released

DOHA: The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) on Thursday denied Cristiano Ronaldo’s threat to abandon the World Cup squad after being benched against Switzerland.

The 37-year-old striker was surprisingly dropped for the last 16 clash on Tuesday, with his replacement Goncalo Ramos netting a hat-trick in the 6-1 victory.

Ronaldo appeared from the bench, but a report from Portuguese publication Record said the striker had previously threatened to leave in a tense conversation with coach Fernando Santos.

“The FPF clarifies that at no time did the captain of the Selecao, Cristiano Ronaldo, threaten to leave the national team during the stay in Qatar,” said the federation.

“Every day Ronaldo is building up a unique track record at the service of the national team and the country, which must be respected.”

The FPF said Ronaldo’s appearance against Switzerland was a further demonstration of his commitment to the cause.

Ronaldo is the most-capped Portuguese player and the top men’s international goalscorer of all time.

Portugal face Morocco on Saturday in the quarter-finals, where Ramos may again get the nod over Ronaldo.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner did not train with the other substitutes on Wednesday after the game, instead taking part in a gym session alongside the starters against Switzerland.

READ: ‘We’ll play according to situation’ Babar refuses to match England style

KARACHI: The football craze and immense support for Brazil’s football team in Lyari managed to draw the Brazilian media’s attention as their local channel “TV Brasil” reported from the football-enthusiast neighbourhood.

Lyari, which is also known as “Mini Brazil” remains in the spotlight for their love for Brazilian football and the locals always gather in large numbers to watch the matches of their favourite team in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022.

The football-crazed neighbourhood presents scenes like a carnival during the world cup as the locals paint the flags of the nations participating in the world cup and hold live screenings of the matches.

They came out in large numbers to watch the matches live wearing Brazil’s jersey and carrying the country’s flag, followed by fireworks on their favourite team’s triumph.

Such massive affection from the neighbourhood has drawn the attention of Brazilian media as their local channel TV Brasil’s show “Reporter Brasil” made a package on the locality.

Taking to Twitter, the media channel also shared the package and acknowledged Lyari as Mini Brazil.

“We think of Brazil, we think of football. And that’s why a small neighbourhood in Pakistan, where the World Cup is as exciting as it is here in our country, was nicknamed ‘mini Brazil’. And there are fans of our national team there,” Reporter Brasil wrote.

⚽️ Pensou em Brasil, pensou em futebol. E é por isso que um pequeno bairro do Paquistão, onde a Copa do Mundo empolga tanto quanto aqui no nosso país, foi apelidado de "mini Brasil". E tem torcida pela seleção canarinho por lá. Confira 👇🏾 pic.twitter.com/vLAkwCqg3X

— reporterbrasil (@reporterbrasil) December 6, 2022

It is pertinent to mention that Brazil handed a crushing 4-1 defeat to South Korea and qualified for the quarter-finals. Tite’s side will now take on previous world cup runners-up Croatia on Friday.

READ: Aroob Shah to lead as PCB announces squad for U19 Women’s T20 WC

LAHORE: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) announced a 34-member squad for the upcoming four-nation tournament in Saudi Arabia, former captain Hajra Khan excluded.

Hajra, who led Pakistan’s women’s team since 2014, was a part of the team that partook in the recently-held South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) despite being replaced by Maria Khan as captain.

Meanwhile, the veteran striker, however, has been dropped by the PFF for the national women’s team’s upcoming assignment as she is not included in the 34-member squad.

The 34 shortlisted players will participate in the training camp, scheduled to commence on December 8 to prepare for their second major assignment since the revival of football in the country.

The Green Shirts will feature in the four-nation tournament from January 11 to 19, the remaining three teams include hosts Saudi Arabia, Mauritius and Comoros.

Earlier, the green shirts participated in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF)  championship after an eight-year hiatus.

After losing to India and Bangladesh, Pakistan thrashed Maldives 7-0 to conclude their first international tournament on a winning note.

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan women’s football team also marked their return to FIFA rankings after a six-year absence.

Following their reinstation in the rankings table, the green shirts occupied the 160th rank with a total of 928.4 points.

PAKISTAN SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Nisha Ashraf, Rumesa Khan, Hadiqa Zafar, Fatima Naz and Mafia Parveen.

Defenders: Malika e Noor, Eeshal Fayyaz, Eschal Sheikh, Mishal Bhatti, Nazalia Siddiqui, Sahar Zaman, Sahiba Sherdil, Sara Khan and Sophiya Qureshi.

Midfielders: Maria Khan, Alina Isphani, Alina Akram, Aliza Sabir, Amina Hanif, Ammal Khan, Anushey Usman, Marvi Baig, Rameen Fareed, Ruqqya Farheen, Sanober Sattar, Suha Hirani and Zehmina Malik.

Forwards: Nadia Khan, Aliya Sadiq, Anmol Hira, Kainat Abdul Ghani, Nadia Shams, Naqiyah Ali and Zoya Zeeshan.

READ: Belgium star Hazard quits international football 

DOHA: Belgium star Eden Hazard announced his retirement from international football on Wednesday, days after the team crashed out of the World Cup in the group stage.

The Real Madrid forward, 31, made the announcement on social media, saying “a page turns today”.

“Thank you for your unparalleled support,” he posted on Instagram. “Thank you for all this happiness shared since 2008. I have decided to put an end to my international career. The succession is ready. I will miss you.”

The Belgium team tweeted: “All the best, captain.”

Hazard, who played as an attacking midfielder or winger, made his Belgium debut in 2008 as a teenager and collected a total of 126 caps, scoring 33 goals.

He was the standard-bearer of Belgium’s much-vaunted “golden generation”, which reached the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The team are still ranked second in the world by FIFA but many of their players are in their 30s and they finished third in Group F behind Morocco and Croatia.

Hazard, who was the team’s skipper, made a surprise admission during the tournament in Qatar, saying the team’s best chance to win the World Cup had come and gone.

The forward moved from French club Lille to Chelsea in 2012 and became one of the standout stars in the Premier League, winning the trophy twice.

He sealed a big-money move to Real Madrid in 2019 but, hampered by injury, has struggled to repeat the form he showed in England.

Belgium were stalked by rumours of in-fighting in Qatar and a number of the country’s other stars including Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois have likely played their final World Cup matches.

In the aftermath of their exit, Belgium coach Roberto Martinez announced he was leaving his job.