Новости за 28.06.2018

Michy Batshuayi saw the funny side of smashing the ball into his own face via a rebound off the woodwork in Belgium's 1-0 World Cup win over England on Thursday, tweeting "why am I so stupid". Following Adnan Januzaj's stunning goal, the Chelsea forward's celebration backfired as he thumped the ball against the post and into his head.  The clip had gone viral by the time the game had finished, with the forward tweeting afterwards: "Ahahha I knew I would be f***** the minute I come to my mentions. Читать дальше...

Jose Pekerman has warned Colombia they will face an "in harmony" England side in the World Cup second round. Colombia defeated Senegal 1-0 in Samara on Thursday to secure their qualification as winners of Group H, before a much-changed England, already through, finished second in Group G following their 1-0 loss to Belgium. Those results set up a last-16 meeting in Moscow on Tuesday, from which the victors will advance to a quarter-final with Sweden or Switzerland, in what is perceived to be the easier half of the draw. Читать дальше...

Maybe Belgium did not want to win Group G. Maybe Adnan Januzaj's glorious goal was more of a welcome sight to England fans than to his own compatriots. But, for the sake of the tournament, thank goodness it came along. The game that had looked not only the pick of the group but perhaps the best of the World Cup early round as a whole had strayed perilously close to the border of farce until Januzaj came along. The fear of winning the group only to face the prospect of a quarter-final with Brazil was genuine, for both teams. Читать дальше...

Tunisia secured their first World Cup win in 40 years as they came from behind to beat Panama 2-1 in their Group G closer on Thursday. The African side – who along with Panama had already been eliminated before their clash at the Mordovia Arena – last tasted victory at the 1978 tournament when they beat Mexico 3-1. Before their second-half fightback, Panama had looked like sealing a maiden World Cup victory when Jose Luis Rodriguez's long-range strike was deflected in by Yassine Meriah for an unfortunate own goal after 33 minutes. Читать дальше...

England's second-choice side don't grab their chanceHuh. We thought that international friendlies were saved for pre-tournament rather than midway through. This game has all the intensity of two retirees playing chess in the park. Understandable given that so little was riding on the game. Yet on a night when England lost, it was the men in possession of the shirt for games one and two who were the Three Lions biggest winners.Some were suggesting that Marcus Rashford should be starting ahead of Raheem... Читать дальше...

Belgium set up a World Cup last-16 meeting with Japan as Adnan Januzaj's first international goal earned a 1-0 win against England to top Group G. With Brazil potentially awaiting in the quarter-finals for the group winners, there was speculation both teams would prefer to finish second to be paired with either Sweden or Switzerland in the last eight. But despite Belgium making nine changes from their previous group match and England eight, both sides showed plenty of willingness to try and win the game and the group. Читать дальше...

1. Belgium top group after England winThere was much talk pre-match about whether it would be beneficial for England to lose this game and therefore finishsecond in Group G, which theoretically brings a more straightforward route to the final.Both Gareth Southgate and Roberto Martinez signalled their intentions by fielding heavily rotated sides, and it was Belgium's second string which proved the stronger. Adnan Januzaj scored a wonderful second-half goal to earn the Red Devils all three points,... Читать дальше...

Napoli have announced that in-demand defender Raul Albiol has signed a new contract until 2021. The former Spain international had been tipped to leave Stadio San Paolo ahead of the 2018-19 season, with Chelsea mentioned as a possible destination. The 32-year-old has signed a fresh deal, though, signalling his desire to work under Napoli's new manager Carlo Ancelotti, who replaced Maurizio Sarri last month. Albiol joined the Serie A outfit from Real Madrid in 2013 and made 39 appearances in all competitions last season. Читать дальше...

Valencia have completed the signing of defender Mouctar Diakhaby from Lyon in a reported €15million switch. The France Under-21 international had been linked with Premier League clubs, but has instead sealed a move to LaLiga, signing a five-year deal. Diakhaby's contract at Valencia includes a €100m release clause, while he will be presented at his new club on Friday. The centre-back, 21, started just eight Ligue 1 games in 2017-18, having featured in Lyon's starting XI 22 times in the previous campaign. Читать дальше...

Jose Pekerman is unsure as to the nature of James Rodriguez's injury woe but concedes he finds the situation "extremely concerning". Colombia progressed to the World Cup last 16 as winners of Group H thanks to a 1-0 triumph over Senegal in Samara on Thursday. However, they were forced to play without the talismanic James for two thirds of the contest, after the Bayern Munich playmaker was replaced by Luis Muriel. A calf injury meant James was forced to start on the bench in the opening game against Japan... Читать дальше...

Federico Fazio has leapt to the defence of Argentina team-mate Willy Caballero after the goalkeeper revealed he had received online threats following their World Cup loss to Croatia. A blunder from Caballero led to Croatia's first goal in a 3-0 win, Ante Rebic ruthlessly capitalising on a fluffed clearance from the keeper. Argentina were staring at a potential early exit following that defeat, but edged out Nigeria 2-1 on Tuesday to book their place in the knockout rounds. The win over Nigeria... Читать дальше...

Marcus Rashford and Jamie Vardy will start for England in Thursday's clash with Belgium in Kaliningrad. Gareth Southgate has made eight changes for the meeting with Roberto Martinez's side, which will decide the winner of World Cup Group G. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, defender John Stones and midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek are the only players to keep their place from the 6-1 thrashing of Panama. Gary Cahill, Phil Jones, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabian Delph, Vardy and Rashford all come in... Читать дальше...

Samuel Umtiti has dismissed criticism of France's performances and insists the naysayers will change their tune if Les Bleus triumph in Russia. Didier Deschamps' men have struggled to hit top gear in the World Cup so far, although they still managed to top Group C with seven points from three games. However, a turgid goalless draw with Denmark on Tuesday - a stalemate that ensured France finished first and Denmark qualified - attracted plenty of negative headlines. Next up is a blockbuster clash... Читать дальше...

The World Cup's round of 16 will feature zero African teams for the first time. Senegal were the last African nation to be eliminated from Russia 2018 on Thursday, missing out on a place in Group H's top two to Japan due to an inferior fair play record. Not only did Senegal become the first team to be knocked out by the newly introduced method, their 1-0 loss to Colombia ended Africa's participation in the tournament. At every World Cup since the introduction of the last-16 stage in 1982, at least... Читать дальше...

Wayne Rooney's illustrious career will continue in the United States after his move to DC United was finally confirmed on Thursday. After a solitary season back at Everton, the former England international has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal to join the MLS side as a designated franchise player, becoming the latest big name from the Premier League to head stateside. The 32-year-old burst onto the scene as a teenager with his boyhood club before going on to become Manchester United's all-time leading scorer... Читать дальше...

The worst-kept secret in football is out and, after 16 seasons in the Premier League with Everton and Manchester United, Wayne Rooney is heading to MLS. Rooney has signed a three-year-and-a-half-year deal with DC United, a move which has been on the cards since the closing stages of last season. The former England captain returned to boyhood club Everton for the 2017-18 campaign, but undoubtedly enjoyed the most successful spell of his career at Old Trafford. During his time with the Red Devils... Читать дальше...

Conditions and context conspired to rob Volgograd of a fitting end to its World Cup hosting duties on Thursday, as the final match to be played in the city saw Japan advance to the round of 16 despite losing to eliminated Poland.  A temperature of 36°C upon kick-off precluded either team from forcing the issue, despite Japan needing to win to guarantee progression to the knockout stages. The fact that a tie against one of two equally daunting opponents in the shape of England or Belgium appeared to await them... Читать дальше...

One thing that might have made Marcelo Bielsa think twice about joining Leeds is the Christmas fixtures. If some Latin players dislike spending their festive holiday chasing a ball through snow and gale, something similar might be true of Latin coaches, accustomed as they are to winter breaks. Yet Bielsa might have to adapt for a different reason.When once asked how he would spend his Christmas, the Argentine outlined a daily routine of two hours'exercise and 14 hours of video analysis. That’s tough to keep up when you have games to play. Читать дальше...

Daniel Amokachi (Everton, 1994)One of the standout stars of Nigeria’s debut World Cup, Amokachi bagged two goals for the Super Eagles at USA ’94, including a wonderful solo effect against Greece.Everton shelled out a then-club record £3m to bring him to Goodison Park that summer. But despite scoring on his debut against QPR, Amokachi struggled to match his World Cup form.The Nigerian only managed two full seasons on Merseyside but is still fondly remembered for subbing himself on in an FA Cup semi-final... Читать дальше...

Wayne Rooney is to embark on an American adventure after agreeing to join MLS side DC United on a three-and-a-half-year contract. Rumours have been circulating for well over a month that Rooney's return to boyhood club Everton would come to an end after just one season in favour of a new start stateside. Manchester United and England's record goalscorer joins a host of star names who have chased a final career flourish in MLS. Here, we look at how some of Rooney's countrymen, former team-mates and rivals have performed. Читать дальше...

The president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) Fouzi Lekjaa has publicly questioned refereeing decisions that he says "seriously hampered" his team's World Cup campaign. Morocco exited the tournament after finishing bottom of Group B, having lost against Iran and Portugal and drawn with Spain. Lekjaa listed the key decisions that he felt were not given to Morocco as he called upon FIFA president Gianni Infantino to "remedy these injustices". In a letter shared on the official FRMF Twitter account... Читать дальше...

Wayne Rooney has completed his move from Everton to DC United in MLS. The former England captain departs Goodison Park after just one season back at his boyhood club, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract with DC. Rooney has long been linked with a switch to MLS and reports emerged late on Wednesday that he had agreed to sign for DC. The 32-year-old then posted a picture on his Twitter page from an aeroplane on Thursday as he departed for the United States, before both clubs confirmed the transfer. Читать дальше...

Portugal have the edge over Uruguay's all-star attack thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo's brilliance, according to right-back Cedric Soares. The sides meet in Sochi on Saturday, with Uruguay the only team alongside Croatia from the six completed groups at Russia 2018 to boast a 100 per cent record. La Celeste's strength is based on the twin pillars of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani up front and Atletico Madrid centre-back pairing Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez, who must face up to a familiar foe. "They have great players like we do... Читать дальше...

Lionel Messi cannot be expected to recreate his Barcelona performances in a very different set-up with Argentina, according to club team-mate Samuel Umtiti. Argentina scraped through Group D at the World Cup and, prior to the final pool match against Nigeria, in which he scored a brilliant opener, Messi's performances drew criticism. But Umtiti, like many others, has pointed out that Messi cannot singlehandedly inspire a misfiring team, while he believes Argentina's style of play crucially differs from Barca's. Читать дальше...

Radja Nainggolan is excited by the prospect of being reunited with Luciano Spalletti at Inter and is confident of winning silverware with the Nerazzurri.  The Belgian midfielder completed his switch from Roma to San Siro for a fee of €38 on a four-year deal this week, seeing him link up again with head coach Spalletti who he worked with at Stadio Olimpico. Nainggolan finished as a runner-up in Serie A with Roma on three occasions, but is targeting winning medals with Inter, who will also return to the Champions League next season. Читать дальше...