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Live France win World Cup 2018 final in breathless six-goal thriller against Croatia - live reaction

David Stein July 15, 2018 FIFA World Cups , 0 Comments

Maybe even the Gods were angry. Or maybe they just did not want this glorious World Cup to end. France are champions, and deservedly so as they were the best team and the most efficient team at what was probably the best ever World Cup, but this was a final marked by controversy, firsts, brilliant interventions and blunders as the incredible resilience and belief of Croatia was finally defeated.

Mbappe had his moment after Lucas Hernandez broke down the left and cut the ball infield. With Vida standing off Mbappe brilliantly disguised his shot from 20-plus yards to strike it low and into the corner. Game over? Not quite yet. There was one final, memorable twist as Mandzukic chased down a Samuel Umtiti back-pass with Lloris far too casual as he tried to take the ball around the forward. Mandzukic stuck out a leg and diverted it in.

There was thunder and lightning with heavy clouds ringing the Luzhniki Stadium here in Moscow as France scored from a free-kick that they should not have earned and a penalty for handball that was evidently not a clear and obvious error to give them a half-time advantage that was a travesty.

Final Match Summary FIFA World Cup 2018

Not that they will care. They have won the World Cup for the second time, and the first time for 20 years, with coach Didier Deschamps becoming only the third man ever to take the trophy as a player and a coach after Franz Beckenbauer and Mario Zagallo. And that is exalted company while Deschamps will feel utterly vindicated in overhauling his squad after the disappointing of losing the Euro 2016 final and also determinedly going for a more pragmatic style which demanded greater discipline from the likes of Paul Pogba and compromising some of France’s attacking flair. That debate does not matter amid the celebrations.

People-celebrate-France's-victory

It was also the fourth time in the knock-out stages that Croatia had fallen behind but, yet again, they drew level with the kind of goal that says everything about their indefatigability. Four times in the French penalty area they won the ball, from a Modric free-kick, with Domagoj Vida finally turning it back to the outstanding Ivan Perisic who deftly pushed it away from Kante and drilled a superb, powerful left-foot shot past Hugo Lloris.

Just as with France’s first fixture of this World Cup, against Australia, VAR intervened and in their favour as Griezmann’s corner flew over Blaise Matuidi and struck the left hand of his marker, Perisic, who was close behind him. Argentinian referee Nestor Pitana bizarrely gave a goal-kick but the French players angrily demanded a penalty.

Eventually Pitana was instructed by the VAR, Italian Massimiliano Irrati, to review it and ran over to the touchline. It seemed an eternity but he returned, pointing to the penalty spot and Griezmann calmly converted. It seemed harsh - Perisic did not attempt to move his hand, could not see the ball, it was not a clear and obvious error - but Croatia were behind again.

Mbappe had his moment after Lucas Hernandez broke down the left and cut the ball infield. With Vida standing off Mbappe brilliantly disguised his shot from 20-plus yards to strike it low and into the corner. Game over? Not quite yet. There was one final, memorable twist as Mandzukic chased down a Samuel Umtiti back-pass with Lloris far too casual as he tried to take the ball around the forward. Mandzukic stuck out a leg and diverted it in.

World Cup 2018: French come together to celebrate victory

World Cup 2018 final, France vs Croatia: What time is kick-off tomorrow, what TV channel is it on and what is our prediction?

David Stein July 14, 2018 FIFA World Cups , 0 Comments

It's France vs Croatia tomorrow, to decide the 2018 World Cup champion

What date is the World Cup 2018 final?

Tomorrow - Sunday, July 15, 2018.

What time does is kick-off?

The final will kick off at 4pm BST. That's 6pm local time if you're in Russia.

Where will the final take place?

The Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow will host the finale to the 2018 World Cup. Russia's sporting Mecca has previously hosted the 1980 Olympics, 1999 Uefa Cup Final and 2008 Champions League Final.

Which teams will feature?

France were the first to reach the tournament finale after overcoming Belgium in Tuesday's semi-final. Samuel Umtiti's goal settled the tie, but Kylian Mbappe again starred on the biggest stage to guide Les Bleus to Moscow.

How do I get tickets and what are the prices?

Unfortunately, but probably not surprisingly, the World Cup Final is currently sold out, but if any tickets become available on resale they will cost £750, £485 and £311 for the various categories.

What is the World Cup final ball?

Adidas introduced a different version of its World Cup Telstar ball for the knockout rounds, but we are yet to find out whether there will be a special edition for Sunday's final.

The World Cup balls - on the left, the version used in the group stages and on the right, the knockout edition

What happened in 2014?

"Germany deservedly lifted the World Cup because of a moment of brilliance from Mario Götze – Mario de Janeiro – because of the team’s resilience and intelligence, because of the tackling of the outstanding Jérôme Boateng and because Bastian Schweinsteiger kept going even when battered by Argentine tackles, even when bruised, even when bloodied as his cheek was opened up.

"Schweinsteiger was the best player on the pitch, spilling sweat and blood for the cause.

"Germany also prevailed because of the hard work put in by the Deutsche Fussball-Bund since 2004 in transforming its youth-development structure, in calmly preparing inexorably for nights like this. It built football centres for kids, built up a reservoir of talent which saw Götze come off the bench, and built towards a fourth World Cup. A stellar team now has a fourth star to go on that famous white shirt.

Who are the previous World Cup winners?

There have been 20 finals, with Brazil the most successful country with five titles.

Who will win the 2018 World Cup?

What is our prediction?

Croatia, once again, were very impressive in their win over England, finding another gear to outclass Gareth Southgate's side. But this World Cup looks destined to be heading to France, with Mbappe continuing to impress on the biggest stage.

Our Prediction: France 2 Croatia 0

Croatia beat World Cup hosts Russia on penalties to set up England date

David Stein July 08, 2018 FIFA World Cups , 0 Comments

Ivan Rakitic, the winning penalty taker, celebrates with Croatia keeper Danijel Subasic

England will feel the stars are starting to align at this extraordinary World Cup but so, too, will Croatia who, having prevailed in the previous round against Denmark despite missing three penalties, have now eliminated the turbo-charged hosts in a similarly heart thumping shoot-out.

In one sense, England may be grateful to have avoided a semi-final meeting with Russia in Moscow, and what could have been one of the most politically charged games in history after the poisoning of a former KGB agent turned British spy and his daughter in Salisbury in March.

But on the other hand, Croatia could well provide a tougher obstacle on Wednesday night, all the more so if their captain and metronome Luka Modric hits the sort of stride he did here from half-time onwards and fortune continues to shine on Zlatko Dalic’s side.

“We expect a very difficult, tight and demanding match,” Modric said. “We watched their game against Sweden and we saw how good they are from dead-balls. We’ll have to focus more on defending from set-pieces because we conceded from a set-piece [against Russia], so we’ll have to improve that element of our game. We’ve already done some thing bigs, but this team can do more.

Whatever the outcome, there is no danger of Gareth Southgate being diminished in the way Steve McClaren so cruelly was in the rain at Wembley in 2007. An umbrella may have shielded McClaren from the elements that evening, but not the ridicule that came his way after Croatia’s 3-2 victory, which denied England a place at Euro 2008 and saw the manager infamously dubbed “The Wally with the Brolly”.

Croatia penalties against Russia

That all seems a very long time ago now and, as England look to banish 52 years of hurt, Southgate and his squad will no doubt be drawing inspiration from more positive encounters with Croatia, such as a swashbuckling 4-2 victory at Euro 2004 when a teenage Wayne Rooney ran riot or Theo Walcott’s hat-trick in a 4-1 World Cup qualifying win in Zagreb in 2008.

England may dare to believe, but Croatia are coursing with confidence as well and their luck is most certainly in.

They must have thought they had done enough to win it in extra-time when defender, Domagoj Vida, headed home in the 101st minute to put his side 2-1 in front after Andrej Kramaric, once of Leicester City, had cancelled out another stunner from man of the moment Denis Cheryshev.

But the Russia right-back, Mario Fernandes, had other ideas and, with just five minutes left, he headed home Alan Dzagoev’s free-kick to spark joy among the home supporters, take a breathless game to penalties and inspire hope of prolonging his country’s unexpected adventure.

They had both been in this position before – Russia against Spain, Croatia against Denmark.Yet football can very quickly reduce a hero to zero and Fernandes would end up being the Russian fall guy.

Croatia's Andrej Kramaric celebrates his side's opening goal

After Fedor Smolov had missed Russia’s first penalty with an attempted panenka, Marcelo Brozovic scored but there was hope again for the hosts when Mateo Kovacic missed for Croatia after Dzagoev scored.

Croatia must have known this was their day when Modric’s penalty was tipped on to the inside of a post only to fly across the net and nestle in the other side. For a moment, the Real Madrid midfielder must have thought he had missed only to eventually wheel away in celebration, a fitting end to a fine performance.

Sweden vs England 2018 World Cup quarterfinal: The Three Lions move on with a 2-0 win

David Stein July 07, 2018 FIFA World Cups , 0 Comments

The England winger seems to be coming in for quite a lot of criticism on social media because he missed two decent chances against Sweden. Depressingly, he is currently the lowest-scoring player out of England’s starters in both ours and the BBC’s player ratings systems.This seems remarkable, not least because Sterling wreaked havoc with his direct running at Sweden’s defence, causing them all sorts of problems throughout.

Without his speed, gumption and creativity, England would have struggled badly to stretch and break down Sweden. Anyone with half a brain would realise he contributed significantly more than quite a few of his team-mates and certainly didn’t contribute significantly less.

But hey, the dunderheaded majority seem to think that as he didn’t score a goal when he should have, it’s open season again. It’s difficult not to conclude that the Daily Mail and Sun have a lot to answer for on the back of their relentless hounding of the player in recent years. It seems he’s still paying the price for buying his mum a nice house, shopping at Greggs, driving a dirty car, flying with a budget airline and getting a tattoo.

Meanwhile in Sochi: Russia are taking on Croatia for the privilege of being beaten by England in next Wednesday’s semi-final. Scott Murray is manning the minute-by-minute report for that particular contest and would love you to join him.

Fun fact: No fewer than 17 of the 23 players in England’s World Cup squad were not born on the previous occasion they reached the semifinals (1 July 1990).

Among those who were still mischievous gleams in their fathers’ eyes – today’s goal scorers Harry Maguire and Dele Alli. Danny Rose was born one day after England’s 3-2 quarterfinal victory over Cameroon in 1990.

Guardian match report: Sweden 0-2 England

““We knew we would have the majority of the ball, the question was whether we could break them down,” says England’s manager in an interview with the BBC. “We’d identified a few areas where we might do that and we got the goals from both of them.

Harry Maguire (right) of England is overjoyed after scoring against Sweden during their FIFA

“We scored from set plays because we got into good areas on the pitch. Sweden are well-organised, they make things tough and over the years we’ve underestimated them. Today, our spirit was as good as theirs but our quality was a little bit better.”

Gareth-Southgate-celebrates-England’s-win

World Cup 2018, Brazil vs Belgium Highlights: Brazil Knocked Out After 1-2 Loss To Belgium in Quarters

David Stein July 07, 2018 FIFA World Cups , 0 Comments

Belgium produced a brilliant performance to knock five-time winners Brazil out of the World Cup and reach the semi-finals for the first time since 1986.

Roberto Martinez's side turned on the style in Kazan to clock up their fifth straight win of the tournament and ensure the semi-finals will be contested by four European sides for the first time since 2006.

Brazil had conceded just one goal in their past four games in Russia but were behind early when Nacer Chadli's corner struck Fernandinho's arm and flew into the net, the 10th own goal of this World Cup.

Fernandinho's Manchester City team-mate Kevin de Bruyne doubled Belgium's lead with a sublime arrowed finish from 20 yards after Romelu Lukaku's powerful run.

Belgium-players-celebrate-their-win-during-the-russia-2018-world-cup-quarter-final-football

In an entertaining and open game, Brazil hit the post when the match was goalless - Thiago Silva missing in front of a gaping net after Neymar's corner - before substitute Renato Augusto gave Brazil hope with a headed goal after Philippe Coutinho's delicious pass.

However, the South Americans became the latest heavyweight to depart the competition after holders Germany and other past winners Argentina, Spain and Uruguay.

'Golden generation answering critics in perfect way'

Belgium were commanding from the outset, taking the lead when Fernandinho scored an own goal before Kevin de Bruyne added a fantastic second from 25 yards.

"This result was huge," said Ferdinand. "They seem like they have a few leaders. This team were questioned for their mentality and character coming into this tournament - they disappointed at the Euros two years ago.

"This golden generation are answering their critics in the perfect way. The manner in which they dispatched Brazil, the way they started the game and bullied a very good team and then got over the line, shows they have got the bit between their teeth. They are the team to beat now."

Belgium will meet France in the first semi-final on Tuesday, while an all European final four will be made up of two from Sweden, England, Russia and Croatia.

Jurgen Klinsmann, a World Cup winner with West Germany in 1990, was similarly impressed: "It was a stunning performance. They hung in there and fought. You can see they have an amazing team spirit. They are very close - Roberto Martinez is doing an amazing job."

Managing egos: How Martinez turned Belgium around

Less than two years after being sacked as Everton boss, Spaniard Martinez will take Belgium into a World Cup semi-final with France - their first appearance in the last four since 1986.

They turned to him after going out in the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016 - the latter to Wales - with a very real danger that this golden generation would fail to deliver a trophy.

Now, they are unbeaten in 24 games since a defeat by Martinez's homeland in his first game in charge.

Ferdinand said: "That's being able to manage egos. Hazard, De Bruyne and Lukaku are all the main men at their clubs and they've had to be brought together. The manager has got them playing together and got them believing in a dream."

Ex-England captain Alan Shearer said: "The big question about Belgium was 'are you a team of individuals or can you come together as a team?' And he's gelled them together. That's got to come from the manager. There's a huge difference between where they are now and where they were two years ago."

Klinsmann, who managed Germany at the 2006 World Cup, said: "He formed this Belgium team in a way that they believe in it. They stick to the plan.

He changed tactics, the players bought into it and it seems everyone is on the same page. They have good chemistry. The quarter-final is the most important point of a World Cup - you either make it or break it."

Brazil Fans after losing a Match

Brazil football fans cry out as they watch their team lose 2-1 to Belgium

Uruguay 0-2 France: World Cup 2018 quarter-final – as it happened

David Stein July 06, 2018 FIFA World Cups , 0 Comments

Goals from Raphaël Varane and Antoine Griezmann were enough to help France book a berth in the semi-finals

French players celebrate at the end of their win over Uruguay.

Uruguay's manager Deliver Message About Uruguay's Teams

“Our dream comes to an end but the fact that the World Cup is over doesn’t mean that we can’t do well in the Copa America,” said Oscar Tabarez. “We have new dreams which we will try to make come true. We are sad, we feel it, but we have to move on. Many countries in the football elite left this tournament much earlier than we did. Let’s not be too dramatic, this is our reality.”

Full-time: Uruguay 0-2 France

Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeep! It’s all over - France book their place in the World Cup semi-finals, where they will face either Brazil or Belgium. They’ve won courtesy of two very soft goals – a header at a set-piece and a goalkeeping error – but were ultimately too good for a Uruguay team that desperately missed their talismanic striker Edinson Cavani. France advance, while Uruguay go home.

Uruguay’splayer dejected after the match.

REACTIONS TO FRANCE WIN OVER URUGUAY IN WORLD CUP QUARTER FINAL

World Cup 2018 quarter-finals: match dates, teams and predictions for the semi-finals

David Stein July 04, 2018 FIFA World Cups , 0 Comments

Teams that have reached the last 16

Uruguay (2-1 winners against Portugal)

France (4-3 winners against Argentina)

Russia (winners on penalties against Spain after a 1-1 draw)

Croatia (winners on penalties against Denmark after a 1-1 draw)

Belgium (3-2 winners against Japan)

Sweden (1-0 winners against Switzerland)

Brazil (2-0 winners against Mexico)

England (winners on penalties against Colombia after a 1-1 draw)

Match dates and predictions

Uruguay vs France - Friday 6 July - 3pm kick-off

Uruguay-vs-France-World-Cup-Quarter-Final-Match

Uruguay may struggle to keep Kylian Mbappe quiet

The big question for Uruguay is whether they can prevent defence and midfield being isolated with Kylian Mbappe - when his pace becomes decisive. They will believe they can score, but can they stop France as effectively as they have others?

Prediction: France 3-1 Uruguay

Brazil vs Belgium - Friday 6 July - 7pm kick-off

Neymar has sparked into life in recent games for Brazil

Both sides have looked competent against inferior opposition in the round of 16, but neither have looked the sum of their parts. Belgium should be much harder for Brazil to break down and they should also test them at the back much more than before.

Prediction:Belgium 3-1 Brazil after extra-time

Sweden vs England - Saturday 7 July - 3pm kick-off

Jesse Lingard will be England's key man against Sweden

The Swedes had 36 per cent possession against Switzerland. They were solid, well-organised, dangerous from set-pieces and took their chance. England need to open them up early and they will have to match them physically. Key man will be Jesse Lingard. Although it is Harry Kane who gets the goals, it is Lingard’s movement that opens up difficult opponents by exploiting the space.

Prediction: England 2-0 Sweden

Russia vs Croatia - Saturday 7 July - 7pm kick-off

Croatia-vs-Russia-Live-Streaming-World-Cup-2018-FIFA-Quarter-Finals

Luka Modric celebrates Croatia's penalty shoot-out win over Denmark

Hard to see Russia abandoning the approach that did for Spain. They will concede possession, sit deep and hope Croatia become exhausted trying to break them down. But Spain did not have a playmaker at the peak of his powers like Luka Modric, who has a case for being the best player at the tournament, even taking into account the missed penalty. Always finds a way..

Prediction: Croatia 2-1 Russia

Brazil vs. Mexico final score, recap: Neymar scores, Brazil knocks El Tri out of World Cup

David Stein July 03, 2018 FIFA World Cups , 0 Comments

Brazil is through to the World Cup quarterfinals after seeing off Mexico 2-0 on
Monday in the round of 16. Neymar scored the winner and Roberto Firmino put it
away near the buzzer, ending a tournament for El Tri that started perfectly and ended horribly.

The talented Brazilians were by far the stronger team in the match, but Mexico had chances to make it more of a game. In the end, Mexico leaves Russia with consecutive scoreless matches. Brazil had 21 shots, 10 on frame, but a fantastic performance from keeper Guillermo Ochoa kept Mexico in it with a chance to get ugly.

Neymar-Goal-Brazil-world-cup-2018

Mexico saw plenty of the ball in the box, recording 13 shots, but only one tested Alisson in goal.

With the match going back and forth, the winner came on 51 minutes off a lovely bit of play by Neymar. He got the ball to Willian, and the winger returned the favor in front of goal to open the scoring:

NEYMAR PUTS BRAZIL AHEAD!

The Brazilian taps home a Willian cross to make it 1-0 early in the second half. https://bit.ly/2tO4dwE

Then with two minutes to go in regulation, Brazil clinched their spot in the quarterfinals. Roberto Firmino finished off a Neymar shot from close, allowing the South Americans to double up their opponent.

And now, Brazil must wait for its next opponent. Belgium and Japan face off later in the day, with the winner facing Brazil on Friday.

Brazil finished fourth in the cup in 2014, but crashed out in the quarterfinals in 2006 and 2010.

Match report: Brazil 2-0 Mexico

Here’s our on-the-whistle snap report from the Samara Arena, where Neymar and Roberto Firmino got the goals as Brazil advanced to the quarter-finals.

Skills Of Football

Live France win World Cup 2018 final in breathless six-goal thriller against Croatia - live reaction

World Cup 2018: French come together to celebrate victory