Football Blog (Page 149)

[ad_1] Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez is a force of nature. He has just 26 caps for Argentina but in that time Martinez has won both the Copa America and now the World Cup, along with the Golden Glove award for best goalkeeper during both tournaments. Not only that but he’s done so in style. And that style is this: becoming the most horrible man in the entire world for the opposition, especially during penalty shootouts. Like, genuinely despicable. A man who would debag the Pope if he thought it would give him an advantage. A man who would punt a baby harp seal intoRead More →

[ad_1] Napoli director Cristiano Giuntoli has insisted that the club have no interest in selling star winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the January transfer window. 90min reported last week that Gli Azzurri were hopeful of tying the Georgia international down to a new contract following his fast start to life in Italy. Every top team from across Europe have eyes firmly on Kvaratskhelia’s progress, with Newcastle the latest team to be touted with an interest. When asked about the Magpies’ interest in the forward, Giuntoli told Sport Express: “No, there’s no chance we will let him go [in January]. “It doesn’t depend on the fee orRead More →

[ad_1] Kingsley Coman, Randal Kolo-Muani and Aurelien Tchouameni were all targeted for racist abuse after France lost the World Cup final to Argentina. Coman and Tchouameni both missed in the penalty shootout, and Kolo-Muani missed a glorious chance to win it at the end of extra time while the score was still locked at 3-3. That saw all three subjected to racial abuse on their social media channels with a string of derogatory comments and emojis with clear racist intent. The abuse was so vile that it prompted Tchouameni and Kolo-Muani to deactivate their accounts, although both were back up again later with the commentsRead More →

[ad_1] United States forward Christian Pulisic has revealed he is still ruing his costly World Cup round-of-16 miss against the Netherlands. The USMNT crashed out at Qatar 2022 in the first knockout round with a 3-1 defeat to the Oranje, in which they were largely outplayed for vast portions of the match. First-half goals from Memphis Depay and Daley Blind gave the Netherlands a commanding lead, while Denzel Dumfries finished the job in the 81st minute, shortly after Haji Wright had given the Stars and Stripes hope. But things could have turned out very differently, with Pulisic missing a one-on-one chance with goalkeeper Andries NoppertRead More →

[ad_1] The World Cup is drawing to a close, and players from all over the world have just announced themselves on the biggest stage in football. It’s been a great year for midfielders, with the men in the centre of the park deciding entire matches for their teams with some stellar performances. But who were the best midfielders at this World Cup? Let’s dive in for a closer look. A big tournament for the Brighton man / Clive Brunskill/GettyImages It’s easy to get forgotten when you’re playing in the same side as Lionel Messi. Mind you, it’s a little easier to stand out when you’reRead More →

[ad_1] Kylian Mbappe has vowed to take France back to the World Cup final after coming up short against Argentina on Sunday. Despite becoming just the second player ever to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, Mbappe and France fell to Argentina in a penalty shoot-out, ending their dreams of retaining the crown they won in 2018. Mbappe, who went on to receive the tournament’s Golden Boot, has since posted a short message to fans on Instagram. “We’ll be back,” Mbappe wrote to his followers. The Paris Saint-Germain forward has climbed into sixth on the all-time scoring charts for the World Cup, tiedRead More →

[ad_1] Chelsea have lodged a bid to buy a plot of land next to Stamford Bridge to aid their plans to redevelop the stadium. The Blues have faced issues with expanding their stadium in the past, given its location in London. Surrounded by buildings and railway lines, Chelsea are operating in limited space and butted heads with the council during Roman Abramovich’s ownership as a result. New co-owner Todd Boehly is committed to redeveloping Stamford Bridge as well and the Daily Mail note that the Blues have lodged a £50m bid to buy an available plot of land directly next to the stadium. The 1.2Read More →

[ad_1] France manager Didier Deschamps has confessed that his side were feeling the ‘physical and psychological’ impact of the virus that ripped through their squad in Sunday’s World Cup final defeat. Les Bleus lost a number of key players, including the likes of Dayot Upamecano and Adrien Rabiot, to illness in the build-up to the game, with Deschamps taking emergency measures to try and prevent a full-blown outbreak before the match. Nevertheless, France looked leggy for large parts of the final, with Raphael Varane forced off late on after appearing to fall to the ground in sheer exhaustion, and Deschamps admitted the virus will haveRead More →

[ad_1] Emi Martinez believes it was Argentina’s ‘destiny’ to win the 2022 World Cup following their 4-2 penalties victory over France. The Aston Villa goalkeeper was instrumental and put in another incredible display to help fire his nation to a first World Cup win in 36 years, coming up with a number of big saves, saving a penalty in the shootout and putting off Aurelien Tchouameni who missed his spot kick. He now adds a World Cup and the tournament’s Golden Glove award to his suddenly impressive trophy cabinet that also contains the Copa America. Speaking to reporters after the game, Martinez delivered his verdict:Read More →

[ad_1] Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni says he is proud of how his team persevered in their World Cup final win over France. La Albiceleste held a 2-0 lead over the 2018 champions but were forced to extra time thanks to a Kylian Mbappe brace. And just as Lionel Messi made it 3-2 after 108 minutes, Mbappe responded again at the death to take the game to penalties. But Argentina finally prevailed, seeing off their opponents in a 4-2 shootout victory to claim their third World Cup and their first in 36 long years. Speaking to reporters after the historic win, a tearful Scaloni wasRead More →