Author: israelojoko

Croatia beat Morocco 2-1 in the third place match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup to finish with a bronze medal.

Captain Luka Modric inspired his side to a bronze medal win in Qatar after reaching the final four years ago.

An early goal from Josko Gvardiol’s powerful header broke the deadlock after just seven minutes of action. But Achraf Dari clapped back for Morocco almost immediately in the same fashion.

Three minutes before the end of the first half, Mislav Orsic’s incredible strike beat goalkeeper Yassine Bono as Croatia went back in front.

No goal was scored in the second 45 minutes as the period was coloured with substitutions caused by players fatigue.

Morocco return to Africa with their head up high as their fans were seen in celebration mood at the Khalifa International Stadium despite the outcome of the game.

🔴LIVE

FULL TIME

Croatia 2-1 Morocco

70′ Croatia 2-1 Morocco

Lots of substitutions have been made.

60′ Croatia 2-1 Morocco

47′ Double corner kick for Croatia, taken by Modric, and defended by Morocco

SECOND HALF

We are back for the second 45 minutes

No way Bono could have stopped that strike. NO WAY.

HALF TIME

Croatia 2-1 Morocco at the break

Mislav Orsic with the 42nd minute goal

GOALLLLLLLL

Croatia takes the lead again

40′ Croatia 1-1 Morocco

WHAT A MISS

28′ En Nesyri outrun the ball, could not find his head to a cross by Hakimi.

24′ Bono denies Modric, parries his shot away

20′ Croatia 1-1 Morocco

Dari’s 9th minute header brings Morocco back in the game.

10′ Dari‘s header equalised for Morocco in the 9th minute

GOALLLLLLLLL

Morocco clap back real quick.

Mask-man Gvardiol is the scorer

GOALLLLLLLL

Croatia takes the lead through a powerful 7th minute header.

3′ What was that Bono?

KICK OFF

We are underway for the third place match.

The fans are set.

Morocco’s lineup is as strong as ever.

Old Boy Modric is still the one leading his team out of the dugout.

France have set up a Sunday final against Argentina after a 2-0 victory over Morocco in the semi final game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup played on Wednesday.

A quick goal in the 5th minute by Theo Hernandez and another from Kolo Muani 11 minutes from time saw the french side book a final ticket.

France now become the first country in 60 years to qualify for the FIFA World Cup final back to back.

Morocco will now face Croatia in the third place match at the Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday.

🔴LIVE:

FULL TIME

France 2-0 Morocco

Kolo Muani’s goal

Kolo Muani scored France second goal in the 79th minute, off an Mbappe’s deflected shot.

82′ France 2-0 Morocco

GOALLLLLLLLLL

France gets goal number TWO

FRANCE SUB

Giroud out for Thuram

60′ Morocco coming closer and closer and closer but still find the back of the net.

SECOND HALF

We are back for the second 45 minutes.

This could have changed the current result

HALF TIME

France 1-0 Morocco

This hurt

44′ What an incredible effort my Morocco but it hit the bar

36′ Mbappe and Giroud both missed two quick golden chances.

34′ The first corner goes to France. Wasted.

28′ The first yellow card is shown to Boufal.

Early SUB

21′ Early goal, now an early sub as Amallah comes in for Saiss

Theo Hernandez celebrates his 5th minute goal goal.

17′ Giroud with a massive shot but that was an offside anyway.

Hernandez with the goal in the 5th minute.

GOALLLLLLLLLLLLL

France score an early goal.

KICK-OFF

We are underway for France vs Morocco

Fans are ready, the stage is set.

Les Blues boss Didier Deschamps has in his line-up the quartet of Olivier Giroud, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann, while Ibrahima Konate and Raphael Varane will be in defence.

History has been made as Morocco qualified for the semi-final of the FIFA World Cup after beating Portugal 1-0 in a thrilling quarter final encounter on Saturday.

A 42nd minute goal by En-Nesyri saw Morocco broke the record of becoming the first African country to ever reach the World Cup semi-final.

But they will have to first keep out a tough Portuguese side that scored six goals against Switzerland in the Round of 16 on Tuesday even without Ronaldo in the starting lineup.

Both teams met in the last World Cup in Russia where Portugal ran out 1-0 winners of that encounter.

Referee Facundo Tello (Argentina) is the man in the middle, Al Thumama Stadium is the venue, and 4 pm local time is the kick off.

🔴LIVE

Drama as Morocco’s Chedira is shown a second yellow card, and sent off.

ADDED TIME

90 minutes regulation time played, we are in for eight added time

90′ Ronaldo almost got Portugal on level terms but his powerful shot was saved by goalkeeper Bono

80′ Morocco 1-0 Portugal

Just ten minutes remaining to play in regulation time.

First yellow card goes to Morocco’s Dari

69′ Another two changes for Portugal.

63′ Morocco 1-0 Portugal

Ronaldo on a rescue mission

Morocco fans are full of excitement with the hope that the result will remain the same till the end of the game.

55′ Dalot played it straight into the hand of goalkeeper Bono

RONALDO IN

Portugal makes TWO quick changes

SECOND HALF

We are back for the second 45 minutes.

Will Portugal find a way back? The second 45 minutes will determine.

Ronaldo not finding the current result funny.

En-Nesyri’s header was a powerful one. How he made his way between the defender and goalkeeper is amazing.

HALF-TIME

Morocco 1-0 Portugal

Bruno Fernandes almost put Portugal on level.

En-Nesyri broke the deadlock with a 42nd minute header.

GOALLLLLLLLLLLLL

Morocco takes the lead just before half time with a header.

40′ Joao Felix is really tormenting the defense of Morocco. But he is yet to find the back of the net.

Fans giving their supports

30′ Portugal’s shot on target was deflected for a corner.

20′ Morocco 0-0 Portugal

Just before the kickoff.

10′ Morocco 0-0 Portugal

KICK-OFF

We are underway.

Cristiano Ronaldo benched for the second consecutive game for Portugal.

History beckons for Morocco. Will it come to pass?

Brazil has crashed out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup after a 4-2 defeat to Croatia on Friday.

Penalty shootout was the decider in the epic quarter final clash between Croatia and Brazil after a stalemate result at the end of extra time.

90 minutes regulation time produced no goal from either side as they headed into extra time.

Neymar broke the deadlock in a spectacular one-two with Paqueta after 105 minutes of action. But their joy only lasted just 12 minutes Petkovic equalised for Croatia to take the game into penalty shootout.

🔴 Live Blog:

Penalty shootout

AET: Croatia 1-1 Brazil

We are now heading into penalty shootout to finally decide the winner.

Croatia 1-1 Brazil

Petkovic brings Croatia on level terms. This is going down the wire

GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Croatia draw level

Neymar now equalises Pele’s top scorer record with 77 goals for Brazil.

Croatia 0-1 Brazil

What an incredible goal by Neymar at the 105th minute.

GOALLLLLLLLLLL

Neymar breaks the deadlock at extra time to give Brazil the lead.

RECORDS

🇭🇷Croatia’s Dominik Livaković made 6 saves in 70 minutes vs Brazil.

🇧🇷Brazil’s Alisson has made 5 saves throughout this World Cup.

🧤Livaković in total made 8 saves in 90 minutes.

🔥The most saves ever made by a Croatian goalie in a World Cup game.

EXTRA TIME

We are underway for a 30-minute extra time.

RECORD

Croatia Extra time

2018 Round of 16: Won on penalties ✅
2018 Quarter-final: Won on penalties ✅
2018 Semi-final: Won in extra-time ✅
2022 Round of 16: Won on penalties ✅
2022 Quarter-final: 🤔

FULL TIME: Croatia 0-0 Brazil.

The game will now go into extra time after a barren 90 minutes of regulation time.

87′ Croatia 0-0 Brazil

This game is finally heading to extra time.

75′ Time is ticking, just 15 minutes left to play and it is still goalless.

66′ Livakovic makes a good save to deny Brazil.

60′ Croatia 0-0 Brazil

One hour of action played already but it is still no goal from either side.

49′ Brazil is the first to get a clear chance in this second half, but they could not find the back of the net.

SECOND HALF

Both the teams brought up a good fight in the first half. But we are back underway for the second 45 minutes of action.

HALF TIME: Croatia 0-0 Brazil

First half has ended in a goalless stalemate.

30′ Croatia 0-0 Brazil. Nothing has changed. Not yet.

37-year-old Croatia captain Luka Modric and 38-year-old Brazil captain Thiago Silva

KICK-OFF: Croatia 0-0 Brazil

The Selecao have in their line-up the attacking firepower of Neymar, Vinicius Junior, Raphinha and Richarlison. Thiago Silva and Eder Militao are in defence, while Casemiro and Lucas Paqueta shall orchestrate affairs in midfield.

Veteran midfielder Luka Modric will lead the Croats, alongside Marcelo Brozovic and Matteo Kovacic in midfield, while Andreij Kramaric and Ivan Perisic will lead the attack lines.

No doubt, a World Cup quarter final fixture between Netherlands and Argentina is an iconic encounter that will be filled with thrills and frills.

The game will kick-off at 8pm local time on Friday December 9, 2022.

It will be a much contested fixture as captain Lionel Messi will hope to get closer to his dream of winning his first World Cup with Argentina.

Back in history, Mario Kempes’s brace and the ticker-tape celebrations after Argentina’s 3-1 victory in the 1978 final have gone down in folklore. As has Dennis Bergkamp’s legendary late winner in the last eight in 1998.

If Friday’s quarter-final clash at the Lusail Stadium can be half as good as those meetings, then we’ll be in for a cracker. However, the two previous World Cup meetings, in 2006 and 2014, “failed to produce a goal”, said Sporting News. And the last competitive goal scored in this fixture was Bergkamp’s 24 years ago.

At the semi-final stage in Brazil in 2014, Argentina progressed on penalties after the match ended goalless. Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal said that his team have got “a score to settle” with Argentina “for what happened two World Cups ago”.

Messi

One of the big storylines at Qatar 2022 has been about Argentina skipper Lionel Messi, who is playing in his fifth and final World Cup. In the round of 16 Messi played his 1,000th career match and scored in the 2-1 win over Australia.

Now 35, the brilliant No.10 has lifted the Copa América with his country, but is still to emulate the great Diego Maradona by winning the World Cup.

Referee

FIFA has appointed world renowned Antonio Mateu to be the man in charge of the match. While top CAF and PSL referee Victor Gomes is the fourth official for Friday’s World Cup clash between Argentina and Netherlands.

Gomes, who could retire after the World Cup, will officiate in his third game in Qatar.

Team news

Netherlands boss Van Gaal had everyone fit for the round of 16 win over the USA and that should be the case for Friday, too. He is expected to name the same starting XI.

Argentina have concerns over winger Angel Di Maria. He missed the win over Australia because of a thigh injury and is a doubt to face the Dutch. Papu Gomez came off against Australia with an ankle sprain and is also a doubt.

Possible starting XIs

Netherlands: Noppert; Timber, Van Dijk, Ake; Dumfries, De Roon, De Jong, Blind, Klaassen; Gakpo, Memphis

Argentina: Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Acuna; De Paul, Fernandez, Mac Allister; Di Maria or Gomez, Alvarez, Messi

The quarter final fixture between England and France is one of the highly anticipated matches this weekend with high tension between fans of both teams.

Both teams have immense quality all over the pitch, with the likes of Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe shining so far this tournament for their respective countries.

The eagerly anticipated World Cup quarter-final encounter will take place at Al Bayt Stadium.

Kick-off has been set for 8 pm local time on Saturday December 10, 2022.

England’s emphatic 3-0 win over Senegal earned them a 2022 World Cup quarterfinal against holders France, who beat Poland 3-1 in their Round of 16 fixture.

The clash at Al Bayt Stadium is an eye-catching one for neutrals, who have seen the likes of England’s Jude Bellingham and France’s Kylian Mbappe in superb form so far, as their respective sides topped their groups and cruised through to the knockout stage.

The Three Lions and Les Bleus have been facing off for almost 100 years but rarely have the stakes been as high, with a semifinal against Portugal or Morocco in the offing for Saturday’s victors.

Despite being close geographically in Europe, England and France have played each other just 11 times in the last three decades, and this period has been the most successful in Les Bleus’ history with — two World Cup triumphs coming along the way.

France have won five of their matches against England since the two teams played out a goalless draw in the 1992 European Championships, including a dramatic 2-1 group-stage victory in the 2004 European Championships.

England’s only wins over France in their last 10 attempts came in 2015, when goals from Dele Alli and Wayne Rooney clinched a 2-0 friendly victory, and in the 1997 Tournoi de France summer exhibition series.

However, the further back you go into the history between these two teams, the better England’s record gets.

England have won 17 of their 31 international matches against France, dating back to May 1923.

The two teams have met twice in the World Cup, with England winning both encounters: the first a 2-0 victory during England’s glorious 1966 campaign, and the second a 3-1 group-stage win over Les Bleus at the 1982 World Cup.

Recent meetings between England and France have largely gone the way of Didier Deschamps’ team, with the last competitive fixture a 1-1 draw in the group stage of the 2012 European Championships.

There seems not to be any serious injury worries in the camp of both teams as all top players are in good shape.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has commented for the first time since the club and legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo parted ways in November.

United terminated Ronaldo’s contract by mutual consent two days before Portugal’s World Cup campaign began after he gave an explosive interview to Piers Morgan on Talk TV in which he criticised the club and manager Ten Hag.

Ronaldo did not mince words when he said he felt “betrayed” by people at the club for trying to force him out and that he has “no respect” for Ten Hag because “he doesn’t show respect for me”.

Erik ten Hag has not publicly made any comment since Ronaldo’s outburst, but has now found his breath to do so.

The Dutchman, is in Spain with the other Man United players not at the World Cup for a winter training camp.

Here are two things he said in his first reaction since Ronaldo’s exit.

1. Ronaldo is in the past: Ten Hag has refused to be taken aback on the issue of Ronaldo as he said the he has thrown the matter behind him.

“He’s gone and it’s the past.” Ten Hag told MUTV.

“We are now looking forward and we’re looking to the future”, added Ten Hag ahead of Wednesday night’s friendly against Spanish top-flight side Cadiz.

2. Moving on in the right direction: Ten Hag said Manchester United is headed in the right direction.

The coach has had a transformative impact on the performances at Old Trafford after what was a nightmare start, losing their first two games of his tenure to Brighton and Brentford.

“I have the feeling, we have the feeling, that we are in the right direction, but we also know that it’s still a lot of work to do for us here,” he added.

Ronaldo, who is now free to find another club, has played down talk of a deal being agreed for him to join Saudi club Al Nassr, saying the reports are “not true”.

The 37-year-old has failed to set the World Cup alight so far and was dropped for Tuesday night’s last-16 encounter against Switzerland, with his replacement Goncalo Ramos’ hat-trick inspiring a 6-1 thrashing.

England are faced with a major test when they take on defending champions France in one of the quarter final matches on Saturday.

The Al Bayt Stadium will host one of the biggest contentions in this World Cup come 8pm local time on Saturday.

Following the conclusion of the Round of 16 matches, attention has now shifted to the quarter final fixtures with the tie between England and France the most talked about at the moment.

Here are three fresh updates as we count down to the quarter final showdown.

1. Tickets sell for £10,000: Tickets for England’s blockbuster World Cup clash against France are now selling for £10,000 – more than 28 times the face value.

This shocking development only confirm how big the match is. Irrespective of the massive increase in ticket price, the stadium is expected to be jampacked.

Nearly 800 have appeared on resale sites at hugely inflated prices, with many being sold by fans whose teams have been knocked out.

The Standard found a pair of £175 category 2 seats being sold on Ticombo for £5,000 each, including a £709 booking fee.

Fans no longer need a match ticket to get the necessary Hayya immigration permit to enter Qatar, meaning they can fly in at short notice without having to negotiate red tape.

2. 9,500 England supporters expected: About 9,500 English fans are expected to drum support for the Three Lions when they face France on Saturday.

The 9,500 England supporters are boosted by ex-pats and hundreds flying in from the UK on flights costing over £1,600.

This is no doubt a big deal, a big game, a big stage that take big spending.

Thomas Concannon, from the Football Supporters’ Association fans’ embassy in Doha, said there had been no arrests or police incidents in two-and-a-half weeks.

He said: “All the England fans have been fantastically well-behaved, very respectful of where we are and just enjoyed themselves.”

3. Mbappe injury rumour: There was speculation around star Kylian Mbappe who missed training on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon’s session has been suddenly closed to the media.

Officials insisted there are no concerns for the 23-year-old who is working away from his team in the recovery room.

Others suggest Didier Deschamps’ side are playing mind games with England.

The PSG forward is the top scorer at the tournament with five goals

Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was the hero on the night when Morocco held their own in a marathon 120 minutes of football to withstand endless threats from Spain attack. It ended goalless still and the game went into penalty.

The African side came out 3-0 winners after Bounou (Bono) save Spain’s kicks.

In the Round of 16 fixture at Education City Stadium, the Atlas Lions produced a solid performance to deny the 2010 World champions in normal and extra-time.

During penalties, the Sevilla goalkeeper was the hero and kept out Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets’ efforts while Pablo Sarabia hit the post. Abdelhamid Sabiri, Hakim Ziyech and Achraf Hakimi scored for Morocco.

Bono’s display no doubt caught the attention of the 49-year-old former Super Eagles captain Jay Jay Okocha, who insists Morocco knew they would succeed during penalties.

Here are two key things Okocha discovered as he praised the performance of the goalkeeper.

1. He trust himself: Okocha said the confidence of Bono is one thing to envy as the goalkeeper believed in himself.

He added that Bono’s body language showed how much of confidence he has in his abilities.

“From the body language of the keeper, he trusts himself, he’s very confident. He trusts in his ability,” Okocha told SuperSport TV.

2. The only way: Okocha said it appears Bono and his teammates knew the only way they could have beaten Spain is via penalty, hence their strong defence on the back line.

He said Morocco were battered as Spain gained so much of the ball possession, but the Atlas Lions defended their own.

“It looked like this is the only way they could have won the game because they got battered when it came to possession play but when your game is to defend, you should at least have some qualities when it gets to penalties. And that’s what they showed.”

The Atlas Lions now become the fourth African team to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament after Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010.

Croatia have qualified for the quarter final of the FIFA World Cup after beating Japan 3-1 on penalties.

The game ended 1-1 on regulation time and extended into extra time. After the 30 minutes, the score remained unchanged, forcing the tie into penalty shootout inside the Al Janoub Stadium.

Japan took the lead in the 43rd minute when Daizen Maeda hit the back of the net.

But Croatia bounced back to draw level through Perisic beautiful header.

The game entered penalties after the score remained the same after extra time.

Croatia advanced after Japan lost their first two penalties.

🔴LIVE

FINAL WHISTLE

End of 30 minutes extra time, and it ended 1-1 . Penalties will decide the winner.

This game will go down to penalties.

114 minutes played and nothing has changed about the score.

15 minutes played, the second 15 minutes will start right away.

100 minutes played, still a 1-1 draw.

Extra time kicks off

END OF 90 MIN

It ended 1-1 between the two sides after regulation time.

This will be the first game that will extend into extra time in the knockout stage

90′ Japan 1-1 Croatia

This game may likely enter extra time.

82′ Japan 1-1 Croatia

Japan really pressing to score and avoid going into extra time.

70′ Japan 1-1 Croatia

The scorer

Beautiful header from Ivan Perisic put Croatia back in the game.

GOALLLLLLL

Croatia equalise. The score is now even.

The exciting moment of celebration

50′ Japan 1-0 Croatia

Japan piling pressure on Croatia

Second half

We are back for the second 45 minutes of the game.

HALF TIME

Japan 1-0 Croatia

Daizen Maeda breaks the deadlock as the game reaches the end of the first half.

GOALLLLLLL

Japan takes the lead after 43 minutes of action

Some moments are irresistible. All for the beautiful game of football.

The game is going down hard.

25′ Japan 0-0 Croatia

15′ Japan 0-0 Croatia

Match ball

Japan vs Croatia is going down.

KICK-OFF

We are underway

Japan lineup is all set to tackle their Round of 16 opponent.

Croatia starting lineup has Luka Modric as captain.