Новости за 24.06.2018

Egypt head coach Hector Cuper is not sure what the future holds as he refused to confirm whether he will remain in charge after the World Cup. Cuper's Egypt will meet Saudi Arabia in Monday's Group A dead rubber, with both nations having already been eliminated from the showpiece tournament.  There had been high hopes for Egypt until back-to-back defeats to Uruguay and Russia ended their chances of progressing amid fitness concerns over star forward Mohamed Salah. Ahead of Egypt's final fixture... Читать дальше...

The pressure facing Colombia before Sunday's crucial Group H clash with Poland was unlike any this generation has ever had to face, seemingly endless fog with a single route through. But with Juan Fernando Quintero and James Rodriguez playing the roles of navigators, slick Colombia found their way through to end Poland's World Cup campaign and keep their hopes of progress alive ahead of their final group outing. Their pre-match situation represented uncharted territory, for four years ago they... Читать дальше...

England lose ‘the fear’One of the most enjoyable aspects of England’s two displays at this World Cup, against admittedly limited opposition, has been the attacking freedom they’ve shown. The mark of England in recent major tournaments is a group of players, who look good when playing for the nation’s biggest club sides, suddenly freezing and looking stifled by the weight of the Three Lions shirt.This England camp has looked a relaxed one off the pitch and Gareth Southgate’s players have brought that to the pitch. Читать дальше...

The first week of World Cup hosting duties has been a triumph for the city of Rostov-on-Don. Brazil kicked things off with a bang - off the field at least - by taking over the streets in a sea of colour and noise before their 1-1 draw with Switzerland. The quality of Uruguay's routine victory over Saudi Arabia was impacted by oppressive heat and humidity, before Mexico displayed their considerable quality in seeing off South Korea. Away from the football, the city's blend of Cossack heritage and Soviet architecture... Читать дальше...

Fernando Hierro laughed off suggestions Spain are self-managed following his shock appointment as head coach on the eve of Russia 2018. A stunning chain of events, which featured predecessor Julen Lopetegui accepting the head coach role at Real Madrid from the start of next season and the former Porto boss then being sacked by the Royal Spanish Football Federation for keeping them out of the loop in the negotiations, left Hierro suddenly in charge of one of the tournament favourites. Despite the turbulence around the team... Читать дальше...

Andres Iniesta has extra motivation to bow out on top at his last World Cup, according to long-time Spain and Barcelona colleague Sergio Busquets. Iniesta unforgettably fired Spain to World Cup glory in 2010 with an extra-time winner against Netherlands in Johannesburg. The defending champions failed to make it past the group stage at Brazil 2014, meaning one of the greatest players of this generation has one more shot at global glory before beginning the next chapter of his career with J.League... Читать дальше...

Corentin Tolisso says he has learned from the mistakes he made in France's opening World Cup match against Australia and hopes to get another chance to impress when Les Bleus face Denmark. The Bayern Munich midfielder started against the Socceroos but was hauled off with 12 minutes to go, just three minutes before France netted the winner via an Aziz Behich own goal. He was subsequently left out for the 1-0 defeat of Peru with Blaise Matuidi coming in and impressing with an energetic display as... Читать дальше...

Nizhny Novgorod was a city closed to foreigners until 1990, but it has thrown open its doors to visitors from around the globe in the first week of the World Cup. Fans from Sweden, South Korea, Argentina, Croatia, England and Panama have descended on the confluence of the Volga and Oka rivers in huge numbers, along with travellers from Colombia, Mexico, Japan, China and even India. The action on the pitch has seen a nightmare outing for Argentina and goalkeeper Willy Caballero, as well as a record-breaking victory for England. Читать дальше...

Moussa Wague became the youngest African goalscorer in World Cup history after his strike in Senegal's 2-2 draw against Japan on Sunday. Right-back Wague, 19 years and 263 days old, drilled into the roof of the net to give Aliou Cisse's side a 2-1 lead in the 71st minute in Ekaterinburg. He beat the record set by Draman Haminu, who, at 20 years and 82 days old, scored for Ghana against United States in 2006. However, Senegal were unable to hold to all three points as Keisuke Honda ensured the spoils were shared. Читать дальше...

A combination of Senegal's strength and the lightning quick Sadio Mane menaced Japan's defence, but the Samurai Blue also demonstrated their cutting edge in a 2-2 draw in Ekaterinburg on Sunday to offer a warning to potential last-16 opponents England and Belgium. Here in Russia, the Three Lions and Red Devils have enjoyed the luxury of cruising through to the knockout stages of a major tournament with a match to spare, England having crushed Panama 6-1, a day after Belgium swatted aside Tunisia 5-2. Читать дальше...

While the football has been the focus of attention in Kazan at the World Cup, there has been plenty to enjoy away from the pitch in the Tatarstan Republic's capital city. Chief among them is arguably the local Sabantuy festival, in which our man on the ground Ryan Benson took part in an egg-and-spoon race, letting his country down in woeful fashion. The action on the pitch began with Australia losing 2-1 to France, Paul Pogba playing a key role in the winner in front of his family, who enjoyed lots of attention pre-match. Читать дальше...

Carlos Queiroz will send his Iran team out to display the 'three Rs' of respect, realism and romanticism when they take on Portugal on Monday. Iran's 1-0 defeat of Morocco in their opening Group B encounter means their subsequent hard-luck loss to Spain by the same scoreline has not had a terminal effect on their hopes of advancing to the knockout stages. They do, in all likelihood however, need to beat the European champions in Saransk if they wish to advance. Queiroz, born in Mozambique to Portuguese parents and a former Portugal coach... Читать дальше...

Saudi Arabia coach Juan Antonio Pizzi insists he has no special plans for Egypt superstar Mohamed Salah in Monday's closing World Cup Group A match. Both sides are already eliminated ahead of their meeting in Volgograd, with Pizzi's improving in terms of performance if not points when they went down 1-0 to Uruguay on the back of a 5-0 opening-night thrashing against Russia. Egypt lost by the same scoreline to the South American group favourites and were unable to stop the hosts' juggernaut earlier this week, beaten 3-1 in St Petersburg. Читать дальше...

Senegal and Japan missed the chance to take a giant stride towards the World Cup knockout stages after playing out a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Ekaterinburg Arena. After winning their opening games, three points for either side would have made them outright Group H leaders and put them in pole position for a last-16 berth. As it is, they will have to endure an anxious wait for the result of Poland and Colombia's clash later on Sunday to know what they need to do in the final round of fixtures on Thursday. Читать дальше...

Gareth Southgate feels England's qualification for the last 16 of the World Cup has taken the pressure off Dele Alli as he recovers from a thigh injury, but said the midfielder is "progressing well". Alli played 80 minutes of England's 2-1 win over Tunisia in their Group G opener but was an unused substitute for Sunday's 6-1 victory over Panama in their second game. Ruben Loftus-Cheek deputised for the Tottenham playmaker as England romped to victory but Southgate indicated he may have the option... Читать дальше...

Neymar's tears at the end of Brazil's 2-0 World Cup triumph over Costa Rica came as no surprise to team-mate Fagner, who himself endured a rocky road to Russia. Late goals from Philippe Coutinho and Neymar eased the tension of a hard-fought Group E clash in St Petersburg, with Tite's side bouncing back from their disappointing opening draw against Switzerland. After the full-time whistle on Friday, Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar sunk to his knees and cried on the pitch, later explaining that his reaction was born of happiness. Читать дальше...

Herve Renard is hoping for a backlash from his Morocco players to what he believes is their "unfair" exit from the World Cup. Having lost to Iran in their opener, Morocco suffered another 1-0 defeat to Portugal in Moscow on Wednesday to see their elimination confirmed. Renard was outspoken in his criticism of referee Mark Geiger afterwards, claiming Cristiano Ronaldo's goal should have been ruled out for a foul by Pepe, and he did not hold back when he spoke prior to their final Group B game against Spain. Читать дальше...

Firstly, the numbers. This was the first time England had scored more than four goals in a World Cup match, the last being the victorious final of 1966. This was also only the fifth time in history that a single team hit five in the first half of a match at football's grandest tournament. Harry Kane then became the first England captain to score a hat-trick since Alan Shearer against Luxembourg in 1999, and only the third Three Lions player to do so at a World Cup. The 6-1 win over Panama was, in no uncertain terms, a total hammering. Читать дальше...

Edinson Cavani insists Uruguay are focusing solely on their upcoming meeting with Russia, and not a possible duel with Portugal or Spain in the second round. Uruguay take on the World Cup hosts in Samara on Monday, needing a win to qualify as winners of Group A. With qualification assured following Wednesday's 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia, it was put to Cavani that it would only be natural for Oscar Tabarez's men to allow thoughts to turn to a last-16 meeting, with Spain and Portugal in the driving seat to claim the top two spots in Group B.

Petty Panama get just dessertsEngland came out of their Group G opener against Tunisia feeling aggrieved about being on the wrong end of some questionable refereeing decisions– namely, the shameless holding of their players inside the box during set-pieces. FA technical director Dan Ashworth had been emailing FIFA officials throughout the week to query the issue, but will have been satisfied with what he saw here.Egyptian referee Ghead Grisha did his best to grant Panama some good grace here– arguably more than they should have been permitted. Читать дальше...

Tomi Juric hopes Australia can show more of a clinical edge in their crucial final World Cup group game against Peru on Tuesday. The Socceroos kept their hopes of a spot in the last 16 alive with a 1-1 draw against Denmark on matchday two, but they are undoubtedly facing an uphill task. They are three points behind Age Hareide's side, who sit a further two adrift of Group C leaders France, and Denmark only need to avoid defeat to Les Bleus to follow them into the knockout phase. Both of Australia's... Читать дальше...

England's stunning first half against Panama on Sunday saw them score four goals in a World Cup match for the time since the 1966 final against West Germany. Gareth Southgate's side blew away their Central American opponents with two goals apiece from John Stones and Harry Kane, as well as a Jesse Lingard strike inside the opening 45 minutes to take a 5-0 lead into the interval. Stones' second saw the Three Lions score four in one match at football's showpiece event since the 4-2 win over West Germany at Wembley 52 years ago. Читать дальше...

The world will be watching Lionel Messi on Tuesday as he and his Argentina team-mates attempt to rescue their Russia 2018 campaign against Nigeria. After two rounds of action in Group D, the 2014 runners-up are staring elimination in the face, having been held to a surprise 1-1 draw by debutants Iceland before capitulating to a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Croatia. So much of the pre-tournament talk was whether - in what could be his final World Cup - Messi would finally experience international glory... Читать дальше...

The space museum, Joseph Stalin's bunker and Serbia's spectacular winner were among the highlights from week one of Russia 2018 in Samara. Aleksandar Kolarov's sensational free-kick earned his side a 1-0 Group E win over Costa Rica in the first World Cup game to be held at Samara Arena. Denmark and Australia played out an entertaining 1-1 draw at the same venue four days later, while off the field there has been no shortage of colour, history and culture to take in. Enjoy our recap of a busy few days in Samara... Читать дальше...

Dejan Lovren understands Argentina's concerns over Iceland facing a weakened Croatia team on Tuesday but maintains Zlatko Dalic's men must look out for themselves. Croatia are through to the last 16 of the World Cup with a game to spare, having pushed Lionel Messi and his colleagues closer to the exit door with a 3-0 demolition in Nizhny Novgorod. The result left Argentina level on a single point along with Iceland, who are one better off in terms of goal difference after their 2-0 loss to Nigeria. Читать дальше...