Sport

Argentina Stun England, Set Up World Cup Final Against Spain

By Web News 7

By Maxwell Oyekunle

Defending champions Argentina came from behind to defeat England 2-1 in a dramatic FIFA World Cup semi-final in Atlanta, booking a place in Sunday’s final against Spain.

After a goalless first half, Anthony Gordon fired England ahead in the 55th minute, raising hopes of a first World Cup final appearance since 1966.

But Lionel Scaloni’s side mounted a late comeback, with Enzo Fernández levelling the score in the closing stages before Lautaro Martínez headed home the winner deep into stoppage time from a Lionel Messi assist.

Argentina coach, Lionel Scaloni praised his team’s resilience after the victory, describing the comeback as another demonstration of their fighting spirit.

Match-winner, Lautaro Martínez said the squad never stopped believing, while captain Lionel Messi expressed delight at reaching another World Cup final as Argentina chase back-to-back global titles.

England manager, Thomas Tuchel admitted the late collapse was painful but said he remained proud of his players’ effort throughout the tournament.

The result sets up a blockbuster final between Argentina and Spain on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, while England will face France in the third-place play-off, with both nations seeking to finish the tournament on a positive note.

Attention will also turn to Saturday’s third-place playoff in East Rutherford, where England and France will battle for the bronze medal after both sides suffered semi-final defeats.

Thomas Tuchel’s England was edged 2-1 by Argentina, while Didier Deschamps’ France lost 2-0 to Spain.

Meanwhile, the race for the Adidas Golden Boot remains one of the major talking points heading into the tournament’s final weekend.

Argentina captain, Lionel Messi tops the scoring chart with eight goals and four assists, while France’s Kylian Mbappé is level on eight goals with a chance of further goals in the 3rd place match against England.

Messi, however, holds the advantage on the tiebreak as a result of more assists and will have the opportunity to add to his tally when Argentina face Spain in Sunday’s final.

Edited by Titilayo Kupoliyi

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Sport

Argentina are FIFA World Cup Champions

By Web News 796

Lionel Messi’s 108th-minute strike was not enough to give Argentina the deserved win after Kylian Mbappe scored in the 118th minute in the Qatar 2022 World Cup final on Sunday.

A 23rd-minute penalty from Argentina captain Lionel Messi and a 36th-minute strike from Angel Di Maria left the South Americans in a commanding position at the break.

French roared back from two goals down to bring the score to 2-2.

France hit back in the second half as Kylian Mbappe converted an 80th-minute penalty and equalised with an acrobatic volley a minute later.

Argentina won the Cup for the first time since a Diego Maradona-inspired victory at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

Punch/Olaolu Fawole

Sport

Qatar 2022: Croatia Wins Third Place

By Web News 608

Croatia have claimed the third place spot of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar after defeating Morocco by 2 goals to 1.

Croatia took the lead in the 7th minute through Josko Gvardiol, but did not last long as Achraf Dari equalized in the 9th minute to make it 1 – 1.

However, few minutes to the end of the first half, Croatia retook the lead through a Mislav Orsic strike.

Meanwhile, defending Champions, France will, on Sunday, battle Argentina in the final at the Lusail stadium at four o’clock in the evening.

Oluwakayode Banjo/Olaolu Fawole

Sport

World Cup: Saudi Arabia Humbles Argentina 2-1

By Web News 1631

Saudi Arabia made history on Tuesday, by beating football giants, Argentina 2-1at the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Argentina opened scoring in the 10 minutes of the first half of the match through a penalty by Lionel Messi.

Saudi Arabia was determined to score an equalizer against Argentina, making spectacular performances during the match.

Saudi Arabia’s Saleh Alshehri scored an equalizer goal in the 48th minute, while Alshehri’s teammate Salem Aldawsari added to Saudi Arabia’s leading position with a second goal in the 53rd minute.

The Latin American country was unbeaten against Saudi Arabia over its previous four matches.

The competition opened on Sunday, with a match between Ecuador and the host country, Qatar.

Other fixtures for Tuesday, also include matches between Mexico and Poland, while France and Australia slug it out tonight.

Olaolu Fawole