A second half header from Steven Zuber cancelled out a sensational early goal from Philippe Coutinho as Switzerland and Brazil drew 1-1 in a tight Group E World Cup opener on Sunday. With 20 minutes gone, Coutinho gathered a 25-yard clearance from goal and curled a shot into the far corner off the post to […]
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Toni Kroos and Mats Hummels slammed Germany’s failings after the holders slipped to a shock 1-0 defeat against Mexico in their opening World Cup match on Sunday. Germany lost their opening match at a World Cup finals for the first time since 1982 after Hirving Lozano scored the winning goal in Moscow. The Germans were […]
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An own goal from Oghenekaro Etebo and a Luka Modric penalty gave former semi-finalists Croatia a 2-0 win over Nigeria in their World Cup Group D opener on Saturday. In Russia’s sleepy European exclave of Kaliningrad — perhaps best known for its nuclear missile sites — the youngsters of Nigeria struggled to get going against […]
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Ace Argentine forward, Lionel Messi fluffed his World Cup lines on Saturday, missing a penalty as Iceland held Argentina to a 1-1 draw. Just a day after his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo scored a sensational hat-trick to secure a 3-3 draw for Portugal against Spain, Messi had a golden chance to write his own headlines. […]
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Antoine Griezmann scored from 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. Griezmann, expected to make a huge impact on Russia 2018 after topping the Euro 2016 scorers with six goals, was left frustrated by […]
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Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning hat-trick as Portugal snatched a 3-3 draw with Spain in a World Cup classic here Friday. Real Madrid star Ronaldo crashed in an 88th-minute free-kick to snatch a point for Portugal after a second-half goal from Nacho put the Spaniards 3-2 ahead. Ronaldo’s late equaliser capped a storming encounter which […]
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Brazilian referee, Sandro Ricci, will alongside two compatriots and two Spaniards, handle Nigeria’s opening Group D game against Croatia at Kaliningrad on Saturday in World Cup in Russia. Ricci will have Emerson de Carvalho as his First Assistant Referee (AR1) and Marcelo van Gasse as Second Assistant Referee (AR2), both Brazilians. Antonio Mateu and Pao […]
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Veteran coach Oscar Tabarez said Uruguay “broke the spell” after they left it late to defeat an Egypt side shorn of Mohamed Salah 1-0 in their World Cup opener on Friday. Defender Jose Gimenez was the unlikely 89th-minute match winner for Tabarez’s men, who also struck a post late on through Edinson Cavani. Uruguay’s deserved […]
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Spain captain Sergio Ramos and new coach Fernando Hierro displayed a united front as they looked ahead to Friday’s World Cup opener against Cristiano Ronaldo’s European champions Portugal following an extraordinary 48 hours. Hierro and Ramos posed together, smiling for the cameras, at a press conference inside the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi, the venue […]
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Russia kicked off their World Cup in style on Thursday, thumping Saudi Arabia 5-0 in front of an ecstatic crowd in Moscow after President Vladimir Putin officially opened the tournament. Putin told the 80,000-strong crowd at the Luzhniki Stadium before the match kicked off: “I congratulate all of you at the start of the most […]
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