#WorldCup : Crazy Ronaldo hat-trick as Portugal and Spain draw 3-3 - Unbelievable match

Crazy draw as Cristiano Ronaldo becomes oldest to score World Cup hat trick
This means, of course, that Iran is in first place in Group B

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a dramatic hat-trick against Spain on Friday, bringing Portugal level at 3-3 in the dying minutes of their Group B clash in Sochi.

The Real Madrid forward opened his account with an early penalty before scoring again just before half-time. He completed his hat-trick with a magnificent strike from a free-kick in the 88th minute.

It was one of the most talked about matchups of the group stage. And we got one of the most entertaining World Cup matches in recent memory. In Group B, Spain and Portugal played out a wild six-goal thriller, with the teams drawing 3-3. Spain overcame a 2-1 deficit to take the lead in the second half before Cristiano Ronaldo completed his hat trick with a crazy late free-kick goal.  

Here's how it went down. 

Just four minutes into the game, Ronaldo tricked the referee into awarding a penalty kick on a non-foul from Nacho, and he put it away:


He draws the penalty and buries it to give Portugal an early 1-0 lead against Spain. #PORESP


Then 20 minutes later, Spain drew level with an absolutely wonderful goal from Diego Costa, who made some moves and found some space for a low rifle:


Then again, 20 minutes later, it was Ronaldo again, who put a shot on frame that David De Gea could not handle, with the first major goalkeeper blunder of the World Cup:


But again Spain had an answer. Ten minutes into the second half, it was Costa again, finishing off a beautifully-executed set piece in front of goal:

Spain's training-ground free kick ends up in the back of the net thanks to Busquets and Costa. 👏👏

Then, another quick punch. As Spain was dominating, it got another goal from Nacho who produced a delicious hit into the corner off the post three minutes later:



The defender makes up for his early mistake with a beauty to put Spain ahead 3-2.

But the last laugh would go to Ronaldo. Becoming the oldest player to score a hat trick in World Cup history, the 33-year-old got the equalizer in the 87th minute with an out-of-this-world free kick that left De Gea frozen:


Iran is in first place in Group B with three points. What a world. And so far, what a World Cup.

#WorldCup : Iran stun Morocco with late goal in a rare World Cup victory

MOSCOW, Russia — Iran was gifted a late 1-0 victory over Morocco in their opening World Cup match on Friday when Aziz Bouhaddouz headed into his own net five minutes into injury time.

The Group match B in Saint Petersburg had been heading for a goalless draw until Bouhaddouz's unfortunate intervention as he tried to clear Ehsan Haji Safi's cross but only directed it past his own goalkeeper.

Iran started with Sardar Azmoun in place of injured striker Mehdi Taremi for the opening Group B match against Morocco in St Petersburg.

Up front for Morocco was Ayoub El Kaabi, who only made his international debut in March but has forced his way into Herve Renard's starting lineup.

Morocco: Achraf Hakimi, Mehdi Benatia, Romain Saiss, Hakim Ziyech, Karim El Ahmadi, Ayoub El Kaabi, Younes Belhanda, Monir El Kajoui, Mbark Boussoufa, Noureddine Amrabat, Amine Harit

Iran: Ali Beiranvand, Ehsan Hajisafi, Roozbeh Cheshmi, Masoud Shojaei, Morteza Pouraliganji, Omid Ebrahimi, Karim Ansarifard, Vahid Amiri, Alieza Jahanbakhsh, Sardar Azmoun, Ramin Rezaeian.

#WorldCup : Uruguay strike late to beat fighting Egypt as Salah sits out match

Jose Gimenez was the unlikely 89th-minute match winner as Uruguay defeated an Egypt side shorn of star man Mohamed Salah 1-0 in their World Cup opener today.

Uruguay's deserved last-gasp victory leaves them and Russia in early control in Group A after the hosts' 5-0 mauling of Saudi Arabia in the tournament opener on Thursday.
A poor game looked likely to end in stalemate but with Uruguay cranking up the pressure late on, defender Gimenez rose to power a header into the top corner and break Egypt hearts.

Aside from Liverpool ace Salah failing to get off the bench with his shoulder injury, another major talking point was also off the pitch – large portions of empty seats in one main stand at the Yekaterinburg Arena were an embarrassing sight for FIFA and local organisers.

Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani had a couple of half-chances for Uruguay in the first half, the best made by himself when he juggled the ball and lashed it on the volley from outside the box, but it was deflected over.

Attacking partner Luis Suarez – in his first World Cup appearance since his biting ban of 2014 – was largely quiet in an unremarkable first period, doing his best work when he drifted between the lines of Egypt's defence and midfield.
Marwan Mohsen played as a lone forward for Egypt, but with Salah missing and

Uruguay skipper Diego Godin imperious, he hardly had a sniff.
One of the biggest cheers came after 30 minutes when the stadium screens showed Salah happily chatting away on the bench but that is where the birthday boy – who turned 26 on Friday – remained.

With Egypt coach Hector Cuper saying on the eve of the clash that Salah had recovered from the injury sustained three weeks ago in the Champions League final, Egyptians will be desperately hoping their talisman is back for the game with Russia on Tuesday, now a must-win.

The north Africans, contesting their first World Cup since 1990, were for the main part fairly comfortable in defence and Arsenal's Mohamed Elneny was a constant presence at the base of Egypt's midfield.

Suarez, who had a frustrating afternoon, forced goalkeeper Mohamed Elshenawy into a decent stop straight after half-time, the Barcelona striker slamming his boot into an advertising board in anger.

He thumped the turf on 73 minutes when Elshenawy smothered at his feet, and seven minutes from the end the stopper was at it again, palming Cavani's drive over.

Cavani then struck a post with a free-kick as Egypt held on with increasing desperation, before Gimenez's dramatic late intervention.

#WorldCup : Hosts Russia thrash Saudi Arabia 5-0 in opening match in a goal spree

Russia 5-0 Saudi Arabia: World Cup hosts start the party with convincing win led by a pair of subs
Russia made easy work of Saudi Arabia in the opening match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Moscow.

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Host nation Russia thrashed Saudi Arabia 5-0 in the opening match of the World Cup to start their tournament in style in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on Thursday.

Iury Gazinsky opened the scoring with a header after 12 minutes, Denis Cheryshev added a second before Artem Dzyuba got the third in the 71st minute.

Cheryshev added a fourth with a superb finish before Golovin curled in a superb free-kick in injury time as President Vladimir Putin watched on in delight.

Russia (4-2-3-1)

Igor Akinfeev (capt); Mario Fernandes, Ilya Kupetov, Sergey Ignashevich, Yury Zhirkov; Iury Gazinsky, Roman Zobnin; Alan Dzagoev, Aleksandr Golovin, Alexander Samedov; Fedor Smolov
Coach: Stanislav Cherchesov (RUS)

Saudi Arabia (4-5-1)

Abdullah Al-Muaiouf; Osama Hawsawi (capt), Omar Hawsawi, Mohammed Al-Burayk, Yasser Al-Shahrani; Salman Al-Faraj, Yahia Al-Shehri, Abdullah Otayf, Taiseer Al-Jassam, Salem Al-Dawsari; Mohammed Al-Sahlawi
Coach: Juan Antonio Pizzi (ESP)
Referee: Nestor Pitana (ARG)

FIFA WORLD CUP TROPHY TOUR BY COCA-COLA #Russia2018

WHAT IS THE FIFA WORLD CUP TROPHY TOUR BY COCA-COLA AND WHERE IS IT GOING?

by Goal 

Over the next few months the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola will visit no less than 91 cities across 51 countries and six continents

It’s the trophy we all want more than any other.

The entire world wants to witness their country claim it for themselves. And every player in the history of the game has spent countless night dreaming of one day rising it above their heads.

But the truth is, few of us will ever even get to see it, let alone win it or lift it triumphantly.

At least that was the case before Coca-Cola took on the momentous task of bringing it to the world.

Coca-Cola WC Trophy Tour 7

The trophy has now begun its globetrot in earnest, with Monday’s official opening ceremony seeing former winners provide it a fitting goodbye.

England 1966 hero Sir Geoff Hurst and Italy 2006 star Andrea Pirlo joined Goal in London to climb aboard the plane before it departed on its epic journey.

WHAT IS THE FIFA WORLD CUP TROPHY TOUR BY COCA-COLA?

The FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola is a global journey that will deliver the most coveted trophy in all of sports to every corner of the globe, before returning to Russia in June for World Cup 2018.

“The Trophy Tour will give fans everywhere a taste of the excitement that’s to come, not to mention a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the Trophy for themselves,"said Ricardo Fort, Vice President of Global Sports Partnerships at The Coca-Cola Company.

HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON?

2018 is the fourth time long-standing World Cup sponsor Coca-Cola have joined forces with FIFA to take the trophy to fans across the world. 

This year it will attend a number of nations for the first time, including Iceland and Mongolia, and looks set to be bigger and better than ever.

“Following the success of the first phase of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour, which gave more than 220,000 people across Russia the chance to see the FIFA World Cup Trophy with their own eyes, we are very excited to now offer this unforgettable opportunity to football fans around the world," said Phillipe Le Floc’h, Chief Commercial Officer at FIFA.

WHERE HAS IT BEEN SO FAR?

Before kicking it off the global leg of this remarkable tour, the trophy travelled all across World Cup 2018 host nation Russia.

So, it was just a small-scale domestic leg to warm up for what lies ahead? Not a chance!

The trophy travelled right across Russia over a three-month period, taking in 16 cities and racking up almost 10,000 miles.

WHERE WILL IT GO NEXT?

Where won't it go? Over the next few months the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola will visit no less than 91 cities across 51 countries and six continents before settling back in Russia for the tournament.

Next up is Colombo, Sri Lanka, and the tour will end in Vladivostok on May 1. See the full list of destinations below.

DESTINATION DATE

Colombo, Sri Lanka 23-24 January

Male, Maldives 24-25 January

Phuket, Thailand 26-27 January

Vientiane, Laos 28 January

Macau, China P.R 29 January

Nukualofa, Tonga 31 January

Honiara, Solomon Islands 1 February

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea 1 February

Lahore, Pakistan 3 February

Almay, Kazakhstan 4 February

Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic 5 February

Dushanbe, Tajikistan 5 February

Tashkent, Uzbekistan 6 February

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 7 February

Yerevan, Armenia 7 February

Tblisi, Georgia 8 February

Baku, Azerbaijan 9 February

Valetta, Malta 10 February

Vienna, Austria 11 February

Minsk, Belarus 13 February

Sofia, Bulgaria 14 February

Tel Aviv, Israel 15 February

Larnaca, Cyprus 16 February

Ramallah, Palestine 17-19 February

Amman, Jordan 20 February

Dubai, United Arab Emirates 21 February

Khartoum, Sudan 22-23 February

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 24-25 February

Nairobi, Kenya 26-27 February

Maputo, Mozambique 28 February

Johannesburg, South africa 1-2 March

Cape Town, South Africa 3 March

Kampala, Uganda 5-6 March

Abuja, Nigeria 7-8 March

Lagos, Nigeria 9-10 March

Dakar, Senegal 11-12 March

Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire 13-14 March

Cairo, Egypt 15-16 March

Naples, Italy 17-19 March

Paris, France 20-21 March

Cologne, Germany 22-23 March

Oslo, Norway 24 March

Torshavn, Faroe Islands 24-25 March

Reykjavik, Iceland 25 March

Tucuman, Argentina 27-28 March

Berazategui, Argentina 29 March

Buenos Aires 30-31 March

Rosario, Argentina 1-2 April

Bogota, Colombia 3-5 April

Panama City, Panama 6 April

San Jose, Costa Rica 7-8 April

Guadalajara, Mexico 9-10 April

Monterrey, Mexico 11-12 April

Mexico City, Mexico 13-15 April

New York, USA 16 April

Miami, USA 17 April

Los Angeles, USA 18-20 April

Frankfurt, Germany 22 April

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia 23 April

Beijing, China P.R 25 April

Shanghai, China P.R 26 April

Tokyo, Japan 27-28 April

Osaka, Japan 29-30 April

Vladivostok, Russia 1 May

For more information on the Trophy Tour head to the official FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour Instagram or Facebook page

Russia’s 2018 FIFA World Cup infrastructure worth $8.5 Billion

Russia’s 2018 FIFA World Cup infrastructure worth $8.5 Billion

The infrastructure, which Russia is building to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup, is worth 480 billion rubles ($8.5 billion), Local Organizing Committee Head Alexei Sorokin said at the Gaidar economic forum on Wednesday.

"The implementation of the infrastructural part is nearing completion and it is estimated at 480 billion rubles. All the facilities we are building will be useful for residents of those entities that will host World Cup matches," Sorokin said during the discussion on the 2018 FIFA World Cup’s long-term heritage.

"The overwhelming part of what we are building will serve the residents of regions. No one can reproach us that we are creating something that will not be needed," the Local Organizing Committee head stressed.

"We have reached the final straight with several months remaining," he pointed out.

"We are almost not causing the International Football Federation any worries and inconveniences and the preparations are in a stable state. We are completing the construction of the last batch of stadiums and this is the heart of the tournament," Sorokin said.

The countries that have hosted FIFA World Cups have seen a change in the investment climate, he noted.

"Russia will be no exception," he said.

"All the host countries have seen a positive effect [from FIFA World Cups] and this is what we will also experience," he said.

The Gaidar forum is an annual international scientific and practical conference on economic issues that has been held since 2010. It is organized by the Russian Presidential Academy of the National Economy and Public Administration, the Gaidar Economic Policy Institute and the Association of Innovative Regions of Russia. The TASS news agency is the Gaidar forum’s general information partner.

Source : Tass

WORLD CUP 2018 DRAW: WINNERS AND LOSERS #Russia2018

The draw for World Cup 2018 was completed on Friday in Moscow, with the 32 qualified teams having learned their fates.

There are big guns who will be worried about their progress in the competition, those concerned that they might not be stretched enough early on, and, of course, sides delighted by the prospects the draw has thrown up.

WINNERS

ENGLAND

Having been seeded second, there were fears that Gareth Southgate’s side could be landed in a tricky group, but instead they have a pool that they should feel is very manageable. 

They open up against a Tunisia side that they will be favoured to beat, while a fixture against Belgium means that they will be up against a group of players that they will be familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of.

But it is not on the group stage that the Three Lions should feel good about – their path to the quarter-finals looks relatively serene, with a potential knockout round match against Poland, Senegal, Japan or Colombia. 

Southgate has refused to write off England’s chances in this competition, and they have improved after this draw.

SPAIN

Another second seed who will be breathing something of a sigh of relief. When they were initially paired with Portugal in Group B, there were the makings of a ‘Group of Death’, yet subsequently Morocco and Iran were also placed in that pool.

While the North Africans will be no pushovers, they are more favourable opponents than others they could have faced.

Iran, meanwhile, come into the competition as dark horses, despite being ranked as high as 32 in the FIFA Ranking, but they are opponents that Julen Lopetegui’s side will feel confident of having enough to see off. They were the weakest of the third seeded sides.  

In the last 16, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Uruguay lie in wait, so their chances of going deep in the competition appear good.

BRAZIL

Drawn in Group E, the five-time world champions begin their quest for a sixth title with a relatively clement group. After their stunning 7-1 loss to Germany in the semi-finals of 2014, there will be a great deal of pressure upon the Selecao to make up for that loss with some style.

The South Americans have been handed Switzerland as their second seeds, with that clash taking place at Rostov-on-Don in their opening match of the competition. Even if they were to spill points in that, which Neymar et al. are not expected to do, they follow that up with fixtures against Costa Rica and Serbia.

With so much talent in their ranks, there should be few fears about a surprise early exit, although if there were to be any surprises, Germany are a potential last-16 opponent for Tite’s men.

LOSERS

ARGENTINA

Although they boast a plethora of world-class players, they struggled to avoid elimination in the qualifying phase to reach Russia. Indeed, only a Lionel Messi masterclass against Ecuador in their final match guided them to the finals.

Jorge Sampaoli’s side have been drawn in one of the toughest groups on paper, with three tricky ties to negotiate before the knockout stage.

Messi & Co will face the unique challenge of Iceland, who were Euro 2016 quarter-finalists after dumping out England, plus fixtures against Nigeria and Croatia – two sides who will fancy their chances against opponents currently lacking in confidence.

If Argentina are to progress through to the last 16, they will have to improve dramatically in the months ahead. 

FRANCE

While it may seem strange to say it, but the apparently kind draw on paper will do little for France’s hopes of winning the World Cup. 

Les Bleus have been there before, with memories of South Africa in 2010 still fresh. On that occasion, they were paired with the hosts, Uruguay and Mexico, and were expected to cruise through. Instead, they found themselves on the first plane home, having approached the competition with a poor attitude.

Didier Deschamps has not yet effectively channelled the supreme talents of a great pool of players and France could have really used a strong competitive test before the last 16. If they are pushed in a group that contains Peru, Australia and Denmark, again, then it will likely be because they have not been at 100 per cent.

France could really have used a push before a potential last-16 encounter with Argentina, Croatia, Iceland or Nigeria.

RUSSIA

The host nation could have wished for a far kinder drawn than they have been handed, particularly as their form has been wholly unspectacular in recent months. Indeed, despite playing every match at home during 2017, they have lost more fixtures than they have won.

Now they have been pitted in a really awkward group that includes an Egypt side expected to be dangerous and a Uruguay team bristling with the offensive talents of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani. 

Consequently, they will have to perform on the opening night of the competition, when the pressure was going to be on them in any case. In that fixture, they will tackle Saudi Arabia in a game that they really cannot afford to lose now. 

Failure to beat the side 63 in the latest FIFA Ranking – the lowest in the competition – will leave them with no room for error and two tough opponents. Can Stanislav Cherchesov’s side line up to that pressure?

Via : Goal.com

Argentina vs Netherlands - World Cup 2014 Semi Final - Stats and Facts

• Argentina have reached their first World Cup semi-final since 1990, when they went on to finish runners-up to West Germany.
• La Albiceleste have progressed from all three of their World Cup semi-finals.
• These teams have met four times in the World Cup, with Netherlands winning twice and Argentina once, with one draw.
• Argentina’s victory, in the 1978 final, is their only win against Netherlands in eight meetings overall (L4 D3).
• Argentina have lost just one of their last 16 World Cup games (W12 D3, not including penalty shoot-outs).
• Netherlands have lost two of their 12 World Cup games against South American teams, not including penalty shoot-outs (1978 final v Argentina and 1994 quarter-final v Brazil).
• 10 of the Netherlands’ 12 goals in this tournament have come after half-time.
• Netherlands’ last four goals in this tournament have come after the 75th minute.
• Netherlands made 692 passes against Costa Rica, the most they’ve recorded in a single World Cup match (1966-2014).
• Lionel Messi (29), Arjen Robben and Angel Di María (both 25) are the players with most completed dribbles in this tournament.
• Messi has also created the most goalscoring chances in this World Cup: 19.
• Against Costa Rica Wesley Sneijder recorded the 10th instance of a player hitting the woodwork twice in a World Cup match (1966 – 2014). He is the first Dutchman to do so.
• Against Costa Rica, Netherlands recorded the 11th instance of a team hitting the woodwork three times in a World Cup match (1966 – 2014).
• Argentina have won both their knockout stage games in this tournament 1-0; they have twice before won by this scoreline in the knock out stages of the World Cup (1986 and 1990).
• Netherlands’ 0-0 draw against Costa Rica was their first goalless draw in World Cup knockout stages. This ended a run of 11 World Cup knockout stage matches for the Dutch without a clean sheet.
• This is the first time Argentina have reached a World Cup semi-final in a tournament when great rivals Brazil have also done so.
• Argentina are yet to trail for a single minute of the 2014 World Cup.
• Argentina have scored with 11% of their shots from outside the box, the best rate at the 2014 World Cup.
• Argentina have made 86 unsuccessful crosses, more than any other side.
• Netherlands are the only team to concede more than one penalty at the 2014 World Cup. 

Brazil vs Germany - World Cup 2014 Semi Final - Stats and Facts

• Brazil have reached the semi-finals of the World Cup for the first time since 2002, a year that they went on to lift the trophy.
• The Seleção have lost none of their last six semi-final matches, winning five and drawing the other.
• As such, Brazil have advanced through to the final in each of their last six appearances in the final four; needing penalties just once (versus Netherlands in 1998).
• Germany are the first country to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup in four consecutive tournaments.
• However, they have reached the final just once (2002) in their previous three appearances at this stage.
• This will be only the second meeting between these two nations at the World Cup.
• The first clash came in the 2002 final when Brazil won 2-0; with Ronaldo scoring both goals.
• Since that 2002 final the two teams have met three times in all competitions, including in the 2005 Confederations Cup. They have won one match each with the other ending in a draw.
• Their last meeting came in August 2011. Goals from Bastian Schweinsteiger, Andre Schurrle and Mario Gotze helped Germany to a 3-2 win. Neymar and Robinho netted for Brazil.
• Brazil have scored in each of their last 10 clashes with Germany, averaging 2.2 goals per game.
• Neymar has scored four goals and assisted another in the 2014 World Cup; but will miss the rest of the tournament through injury.
• The Barcelona forward has played a hand in 50% of Brazil’s 10 goals so far in the tournament.
• Brazil’s captain Thiago Silva will miss the semi-final through suspension. Brazil have lost none of their last 10 matches that he has featured in (W8 D2).
• Silva’s replacement in the Brazil team is likely to be Bayern Munich defender Dante. The defender has played 151 times in the German Bundesliga for FC Bayern and Borussia Monchengladbach.
• Dante is one of four players (two of which are goalkeepers) in the Brazil squad yet to play a minute at the 2014 World Cup.
• No side have kept more clean sheets in the 2014 World Cup than Germany (3), while Brazil have only kept one in their five matches.
• Brazil have won just one of their last four World Cup matches against UEFA opposition. That victory came in the Group Stages of this tournament against Croatia (D1 L2).
• Germany’s only defeat in their last nine matches against South American opposition at the World Cup came in the 2002 final versus Brazil. They have won six and drawn two of the other eight.
• Germany’s last six goals in the competition have been netted by six different players.
• Only Thomas Muller (4) has scored more goals for Germany in this competition than centre-back Mats Hummels (2).
• Both teams had to rely on goals from centre-halves to win their quarter-final match (Thiago Silva, David Luiz and Mats Hummels).
• Against Colombia, Brazil conceded 31 fouls; more than the Seleção have conceded in any single World Cup game from 1966 onwards.
• Miroslav Klose needs one goal to be the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer. He is currently joint-top with Ronaldo (15 goals).
• The Lazio forward is the only player from either squad that was part of the 2002 final. 

Freaking Fans of World Cup 2014

Here are the first week of Freaking Fans of World Cup 2014.

Some of the images are touching and they will stand in our minds forever.

Photos from Huffington Post.

Germany leaps over Argentina, while Spain crashes out

Brazil remains the favorites of Punters even after their surprising draw against Mexico.
But after their impressive display against Ronaldo's Portugal, Germany leaps over Messi inspired Argentina to be the 2nd favorites.

Defending Champions Spain's chances are fading - Latest Odds

After the biggest upset so far in the FIFA World Cup 2014, Defending Champions Spain who were 3rd favorites to win this World Cup at 13/2 behind Hosts Brazil and their South American rivals Argentina, has fallen to fourth. Their odds have reached now 11/1.

Netherlands who surprised everyone by their astonishing goal scoring display yesterday, have risen upand now their odd stands at 12/1 just behind Spain.

The latest odds from leading betting institutions.