Berlin, Germany | AFP | Gabriel Jesus struck the winner as Brazil put memories of their 2014 World Cup mauling by Germany behind them with a 1-0 friendly win in Berlin on Tuesday. Jesus’ first-half goal at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, packed with a 72,717-strong crowd, saw Brazil end Germany’s unbeaten …
Read More »VAR confusion could blight World Cup – Southgate
London, United Kingdom | AFP | England manager Gareth Southgate believes a lack of clarity over the video assistant referee (VAR) system could blight the 2018 World Cup. Southgate’s side were denied another impressive World Cup warm-up friendly result as Lorenzo Insigne’s penalty three minutes from time salvaged a 1-1 …
Read More »World Cup hopefuls Spain crush Argentina, Brazil edge Germany
Paris, France | AFP | Isco scored a hat-trick as Spain hammered an Argentina side without Lionel Messi 6-1 in a friendly on Tuesday, while Brazil defeated Germany 1-0 in their first meeting since the 2014 World Cup. Gareth Southgate’s England were denied victory over Italy at Wembley after the …
Read More »Argentina have a ‘debt’ to settle at World Cup – Messi
Buenos Aires, Argentina | AFP | Argentina captain Lionel Messi admitted Monday that his generation has a score to settle at the World Cup in Russia after a series of agonising near misses in major tournaments. “The debt we owe is to ourselves, not to the people. We always give …
Read More »Dutch give Koeman first win by cruising past Portugal
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Ronald Koeman claimed his first win in charge of the Netherlands national team as the Dutch cruised to a comfortable 3-0 friendly victory over an uninspired Portugal in Geneva on Monday. The three-time World Cup runners-up have failed to qualify for this year’s finals in …
Read More »City slicker Sterling ready for star role with England
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Raheem Sterling has vowed to finally emulate his blistering Manchester City form in an England shirt as the electric winger eyes redemption at the World Cup. Sterling’s last taste of a major international tournament was a bitter one, but the forthcoming World Cup in …
Read More »Xavi named global ambassador by 2022 World Cup organisers
Doha, Qatar | AFP | Former World Cup winner Xavi Hernandez was named as a global ambassador for the 2022 World Cup local organising committee in Qatar on Sunday. The 38-year-old, who is currently playing for Qatari side Al Sadd, will be an ambassador for the organisation “responsible for delivering the …
Read More »Moses gives Nigeria surprise victory in Poland
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Chelsea winger Victor Moses won and converted a harshly awarded penalty to give Nigeria a surprise 1-0 win in Poland on Friday in a World Cup warm-up. Moses fell after the merest of touches before calmly stroking the ball into the corner of the net …
Read More »Lingard strike sees new-look England enjoy Dutch friendly success
Amsterdam, Netherlands | AFP | Jesse Lingard scored his first England goal as a reshaped side beat the Netherlands 1-0 in an Amsterdam friendly on Friday. This was England’s last away match before they travel to Russia for this year’s World Cup finals and they were rewarded with a well-deserved win …
Read More »40-year-old Buffon happy to be part of new Italy generation
Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon insisted Thursday that he still has a role to play in Italy’s future despite already having passed his 40th birthday. The Juventus star quit international football after Italy stunningly failed to qualify for the World Cup finals. However, he has …
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