Jeux Sans Frontières

[tenthreeleader]

Rather embarrassed that I haven't posted to you yet, Mr. Fuller. This is a very nice piece of writing. Going to spend a bit of time catching up.

[CFuller]

Rather embarrassed that I haven't posted to you yet, Mr. Fuller. This is a very nice piece of writing. Going to spend a bit of time catching up.

You took your time, Mr Leader!

Don't feel embarrassed that you haven't posted up until now. It's perfectly understandable if you're not on here as often as you normally are.

[CFuller]

Round 6 Preview

June 2016 saw the inaugural FIFA World Championship get down to business. After 368 qualifying matches, 32 teams had emerged as survivors, with their dreams of writing their names into the history books still intact.

 

From hereon in, the action would come thick and fast for the 32 finalists. The eventual victors would need to come through no fewer than eight matches against five different opponents over the course of five weeks. It would be as much a test of squad depth and stamina as talent and desire.

 

The sixteen ties in Round 6 would all be spread out over the course of eight dramatic days. The eight teams in the top quarter of the draw would kick off the action with their first-leg matches on 4 June. The second quarter would then follow suit with its opening matches on 5 June before the third and fourth quarters would be played out over the next two days.

 

The second legs of those Round 6 ties would be played in the same order from 8 to 11 June.

 

The top half had a very European feel about it, with only two North American teams involved in what was otherwise a UEFA-dominated portion of the draw.

 

The top quarter threw up a couple of very interesting ties. Third seeds Netherlands would take on the Czech Republic in a tie that would bring back memories of an extraordinary group match at the 2004 European Championship. On that occasion, the Czechs came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2, and they would be looking to upset the odds again.

 

Whoever did win that tie would fancy their chances of getting past either Denmark or Ukraine in Round 7. Of course, the Danish Dynamite - European champions in 1992 - and the resilient Ukrainians would each want to have their say.

 

After the Netherlands, Portugal were the team most people fancied to come through that quarter of the draw. They had a mouth-watering last 32 clash against Mexico - the reason why Neymar and his Brazilian compatriots were on holiday in June. Lying in wait in Round 7 for the winners were either Bosnia & Herzegovina or a very compact Switzerland team.

 

Heading the second quarter were second seeds Germany. The Mannschaft won the last World Cup in 2014, but Joachim Löw and his team were unlikely to have it easy against Serbia in Round 6.

 

France were strongly tipped by some to block the Germans' path and get into the Semi Finals at their expense. Before Les Bleus could contemplate playing a last-four clash on their home ground, though, they would have to get past a resurgent Scotland side.

 

If the French come through, their next hurdle would be represented by either Austria or the United States of America. Meanwhile, Iceland - the least populous nation in the last 32 - and Greece would battle it out to find out who would get into Round 7, and into, most probably, a tussle with Germany.

 

Colombia went into the finals as fourth seeds, and they would open up against South Korea in the third quarter of the draw. Although they had a number of established stars such as James Rodríguez in their team, Los Cafeteros were only really seen as 'dark horses', rather than serious championship contenders.

 

The winner of Colombia's tie would meet either Algeria or Panama in the last 16. Panama's run to the finals phase was particularly impressive, as they had never qualified for the old World Cup.

 

Uruguay were only seeded 12th for this World Championship, but with Luis Suárez leading their frontline, they had every reason to believe that they could go all the way. If they could see off Russia's challenge, they would be into a Round 7 clash with either fifth seeds England or South American rivals Paraguay.

 

The final quarter was divided up between four European and four non-European nations. Heading the UEFA portion of that quarter were Croatia and Italy, who would be favourites in their respective clashes with the Republic of Ireland and Turkey.

 

There would be at least one African nation in Round 7 after 16th seeds Ghana were drawn against Equatorial Guinea. The latter were arguably among the more surprising teams to survive the qualifying phase.

 

Last, but not least, there was a David vs Goliath clash between the pre-tournament favourites and the lowest-ranked side left in the competition. Argentina were top of the FIFA World Rankings and deserved their number 1 seeding, and it would surely take a herculean effort from Australia to knock them out early.

 

With Lionel Messi and Sergio Agüero heading their attack, La Albiceleste would provide formidable opposition for anyone. Two years on from their agonising extra-time defeat in the World Cup Final, could the Argentines make amends by taking the World Championship title in 2016? Only time would tell.

 

 

ROUND 6, LEG 1: 4 June 2016

Bosnia & Herzegovina                 vs      Switzerland                         
Czech Republic                       vs      Netherlands                         
Denmark                              vs      Ukraine                             
Mexico                               vs      Portugal                            

ROUND 6, LEG 1: 5 June 2016

Greece                               vs      Iceland                             
Scotland                             vs      France                              
Serbia                               vs      Germany                             
United States of America             vs      Austria                             

ROUND 6, LEG 1: 6 June 2016

Panama                               vs      Algeria                              
Paraguay                             vs      England                             
Russia                               vs      Uruguay                             
South Korea                          vs      Colombia                             

ROUND 6, LEG 1: 7 June 2016

Australia                            vs      Argentina                           
Equatorial Guinea                    vs      Ghana                               
Republic of Ireland                  vs      Croatia                             
Turkey                               vs      Italy                               

ROUND 6, LEG 2: 8 June 2016

Netherlands                          vs      Czech Republic                      
Portugal                             vs      Mexico                              
Switzerland                          vs      Bosnia & Herzegovina                
Ukraine                              vs      Denmark                             

ROUND 6, LEG 2: 9 June 2016

Austria                              vs      United States of America            
France                               vs      Scotland                            
Germany                              vs      Serbia                              
Iceland                              vs      Greece                              

ROUND 6, LEG 2: 10 June 2016

Algeria                              vs      Panama                              
Colombia                             vs      South Korea                         
England                              vs      Paraguay                            
Uruguay                              vs      Russia                              

ROUND 6, LEG 2: 11 June 2016

Argentina                            vs      Australia                           
Croatia                              vs      Republic of Ireland                 
Ghana                                vs      Equatorial Guinea                    
Italy                                vs      Turkey                              

[sherwinriga]

Great preview on the Round Six! My bets on the semifinals are that the Portuguese will face the Germans and finally the Argentinians will probably face Columbia. I will be also ready to see both Ghana and United States to aim high.

[CFuller]

Great preview on the Round Six! My bets on the semifinals are that the Portuguese will face the Germans and finally the Argentinians will probably face Columbia. I will be also ready to see both Ghana and United States to aim high.

Okay, so we've got Portugal vs Germany, and Colombia vs Argentina. Interesting choices - not too far from my pre-tournament thoughts, actually. Anyone else dare to make any predictions?

I think Ghana and the USA both have strong chances of getting to the last 16. Austria may have a high seeding, but the Americans could cause them real problems.

[CFuller]

Round 6, Leg 1 Results

4 June 2016

Bosnia & Herzegovina vs Switzerland - at Bilino Polje, Zenica

Switzerland started off with a number of quick attacks, the first of which came after just three minutes. Xherdan Shaqiri’s pop shot at goal was well held by Bosnian goakeeper Asmir Begovic, who then watched Pajtim Kasami and Haris Seferovic send shots off target. The Zmajevi’s first attempt at goal was an Edin Dzeko header that Yann Sommer comfortably caught for Switzerland in the 8th minute. The Borussia Mönchengladbach goalkeeper made a rather more important save from Dzeko on 18 minutes, turning a powerful strike away. Semir Stilic and Edin Visca then missed chances to put Bosnia & Herzegovina in front before the breakthrough was made on 34 minutes. Unfortunately, for the home fans, the opening goal came at their end. Ricardo Rodríguez’s corner for Switzerland was nodded on by Fabian Schär to Fabien Frei, who lashed in a superb volley. A fine save from Begovic denied Kasami a second Swiss goal two minutes later, but the visitors would pull further clear just before half-time. Frei was heavily involved again, as he stroked a lovely ball ahead of Seferovic, who powered it past Begovic for 2-0.

 

Bosnia & Herzegovina continued to come under heavy pressure in the second half. Sanjin Prcic had to block a 50th-minute volley from the experienced Swiss wing-back Stephan Lichtsteiner, while Begovic caught an optimistic effort from Shaqiri a minute later. Dzeko sensed an opportunity to fire the Zmajevi back into the game on 58 minutes, but he was once again thwarted by the impressive Sommer. Switzerland would be even further clear by the 64th minute. Shaqiri was tripped in the Bosnian area by Senad Lulic, and Schär rocketed his penalty past Begovic. Schär would then be booked five minutes later for a handball, but that was one of only a few blots on Switzerland’s copybook. Another came in the 78th minute, when Asmir Suljic’s right-wing cross was deflected across the goal line by the unfortunate Swiss captain Johan Djourou. The visitors could easily have claimed a fourth goal before - and indeed after - Djourou’s own goal, but a 3-1 lead seemed comfortable enough for them as they headed back home for the second leg.

 

Bosnia & Herzegovina - 1 (Johan Djourou og78)

Switzerland - 3 (Fabian Frei 34, Haris Seferovic 45, Fabian Schär pen64)

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA LINE-UP: Asmir Begovic; Mateo Susic (Anel Hadzic 57), Emir Spahic, Ervin Zukanovic, Sead Kolasinac (Jasmin Scuk 62); Miralem Pjanic, Sanjin Prcic; Edin Visca, Semir Stilic (Asmir Suljic 62), Senad Lulic; Edin Dzeko ©. BOOKED: Hadzic 86.

SWITZERLAND LINE-UP: Yann Sommer; Stephan Lichtsteiner, Fabian Schär, Johan Djourou ©, Ricardo Rodríguez; Fabian Frei (Almen Abdi 75), Granit Xhaka, Pajtim Kasami (Admir Mehmedi 79); Xherdan Shaqiri, Luca Zuffi; Haris Seferovic (Breel Embolo 79). BOOKED: Schär 69.

REFEREE: Mark Geiger (United States of America).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Fabian Frei (Switzerland).

 

Mexico vs Portugal - at Estadio Azteca, Mexico City

Portugal didn’t take long to get out of the starting blocks. After four minutes, winger Bernardo Silva surged past a slide-tackle from Mexico left-back Miguel Layún and cut the ball back for Cristiano Ronaldo, who applied the finish. Javier Hernández almost claimed a swift equaliser for El Tri just a minute later, but his header skimmed the top of the Portuguese crossbar. Mexico goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera then made a big point-blank save to prevent Ronaldo from grabbing another goal in the 10th minute. The resulting corner would, though, lead to Talavera being beaten again. Ronaldo nodded Silva’s delivery on to Adrien, who drove A Selecção into a two-goal lead. Adrien had been booked just a couple of minutes earlier following a trip on Mexico captain Andrés Guardado. Team-mate Daniel Carriço would also have his name taken by the referee in the 23rd minute after he brought Hernández crashing down. Meanwhile, Talavera produced a number of saves to prevent Ronaldo from stretching the visitors' lead further before half-time. Portugal remained 2-0 up at the break, but they had a major cause for concern when Silva strained his calf in the 43rd minute. Although the Paris Saint-Germain youngster would see out the match, he would be subsequently ruled out of the second leg.

 

Silva played through the pain barrier and almost grabbed Portugal a third goal on 50 minutes. Talavera did brilliantly to turn the 21-year-old’s strike round his post and keep El Tri in the running. A couple of minutes after that, Ronaldo wasted yet another opportunity to secure his second goal of the night. On 64 minutes, Nani’s free-kick for Portugal was headed wide by Paulo Oliveira. A Selecção’s failure to kill off the Mexicans would come back to bite them midway through the half. On 70 minutes, Mexico substitute Néstor Araujo got his head to an excellent corner delivery from Layún. Rui Patrício couldn’t secure the ball, leaving another home sub - Guido Pizarro - free to bury the loose ball into the net. The hosts sensed that Portugal were vulnerable, and four minutes later, they very nearly equalised. Layún’s left-wing cross into the six-yard box found Hernández, but ‘Chicharito’ couldn’t quite get his header on target. Portuguese fans breathed a collective sigh of relief, and their team would hold on to claim a potentially vital away win. Mexico weren’t yet out of the running, though that late Hernández mess looked like being very significant.

 

Mexico - 1 (Guido Pizarro 70)

Portugal - 2 (Cristiano Ronaldo 4, Adrien 10)

MEXICO LINE-UP: Alfredo Talavera; José Carlos Van Rankin, Diego Reyes (Néstor Araujo 68), Héctor Moreno, Miguel Layún; Héctor Herrera (Orbelín Pineda 62), Andrés Guardado ©, Luis Montes; Giovani dos Santos (Guido Pizarro 68); Carlos Vela, Javier Hernández.

PORTUGAL LINE-UP: Rui Patrício; João Cancelo, Daniel Carriço, Paulo Oliveira (Jardel 82), Fábio Coentrão; Danilo Pereira (Rúben Neves 76); Bernardo Silva, João Moutinho (André Gomes 82), Adrien, Nani; Cristiano Ronaldo ©. BOOKED: Adrien 8, Carriço 23, Cancelo 68.

REFEREE: Daniele Orsato (Italy).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Alfredo Talavera (Mexico).

 

Denmark vs Ukraine - at Telia Parken, Copenhagen

Viktor Fischer pulled wide a real opportunity to give Denmark the lead after eight minutes. The Danes went close to falling behind twice over the next two minutes, but goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel tipped wide shots from Eugene Konoplyanka and Victor Kovalenko. Ukraine would come to rue those misses in the 13th minute. Danish talisman Christian Eriksen sprayed the ball out right to Yussuf Poulsen, whose low cross was converted by Fischer for 1-0. Within just three minutes, however, Ukraine were back on level terms. Sergiy Rybalka knocked the ball ahead of his colleague Eugene Seleznyov, who broke away from home skipper Daniel Agger to hammer a shot into the net. The rest of the first half would be rather cagey, with both teams spurning opportunities to go 2-1 up. Fischer went agonisingly close to heading in his second goal for the Danish Dynamite on 24 minutes, flicking Pierre-Emile Højbjerg’s cross inches over. On 31 minutes, Ukrainian playmaker Andriy Yarmolenko picked out Seleznyov with an excellent long ball, but Schmeichel turned the striker’s shot over his bar. Seleznyov’s next attempt to put the Yellow-Blue in front went wide on 42 minutes, and the match remained delicately poised at half-time.

 

The youthful energy of right-winger Poulsen helped the Danish Dynamite to make an explosive start to the second half. In the first minute after the restart, Poulsen skirted past Ukraine left-back Eugene Makarenko and crossed to Eriksen at the back post. Eriksen’s initial header was parried by Denys Boyko, but the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder made light work of the rebound. Although Boyko showed greater composure to save an effort from Nicolai Jørgensen in the 48th minute, it wouldn’t be long before Denmark went further ahead. The Danes got very lucky in the 53rd minute, when Makarenko’s attempted clearance from an Eriksen corner deflected off Yarmolenko’s goal and headed towards the Ukrainian goal. Boyko desperately tried to parry the loose ball away from his line, but he couldn’t prevent Andreas Christensen from slotting in the rebound. Ukraine were rather fortunate not to fall further behind on 57 minutes, when Boyko tipped away a strike from Højbjerg. Poulsen, Fischer, and substitute Jakob Ankersen then missed chances midway through the half as Denmark looked to pull well clear of the Yellow-Blue. The Danes’ best chance to make it 4-1 came after another Ukrainian defensive calamity in the 74th minute. Sergiy Sydorchuk’s attempt to clear the ball away from Eriksen’s only sent it to Fischer, who surely would’ve scored but for a vital intervention from Boyko. The Beşiktaş goalkeeper had potentially kept his country in the World Championship, but Ukraine still had to bridge a two-goal gap in their second leg at home.

 

Denmark - 3 (Viktor Fischer 13, Christian Eriksen 46, Andreas Christensen 53)

Ukraine - 1 (Eugene Seleznyov 16)

DENMARK LINE-UP: Kasper Schmeichel; Daniel Wass, Andreas Christensen, Daniel Agger ©, Nicolai Boilesen (Riza Durmisi 78); Yussuf Poulsen, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Thomas Delaney (Jakob Ankersen 47), Christian Eriksen; Nicolai Jørgensen (Michael Krohn-Dehli 72), Viktor Fischer. BOOKED: Højbjerg 89.

UKRAINE LINE-UP: Denys Boyko; Artem Fedetskyi, Eugene Khacheridi, Yaroslav Rakitskyi, Eugene Makarenko (Eduard Sobol 67); Ruslan Rotan © (Sergiy Sydorchuk 54), Sergiy Rybalka; Andriy Yarmolenko, Victor Kovalenko (Vitaliy Buyalskyi 61), Eugene Konoplyanka; Eugene Seleznyov. BOOKED: Rakitskyi 21, Yarmolenko 74.

REFEREE: Matthew Conger (New Zealand).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Sergiy Rybalka (Ukraine).

 

Czech Republic vs Netherlands - at Generali Arena, Prague

The Czech Republic had a couple of players caught out for offside before they got their first shot on target in the eighth minute. Vladimir Darida’s fierce strike from Ladislav Krejci’s centre was pushed behind by Netherlands goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen. The Czechs would have to call upon their goalkeeper for the first time in the 12th minute, when captain Petr Cech palmed away a fierce long-ranger from Memphis Depay. The match was now beginning to heat up, with the Czech Republic enjoying the greater number of scoring chances. Darida was kept off the scoresheet again by Cillessen on 26 minutes. Two minutes later, a well-worked Dutch attacking move saw the Netherlands strike first against the run of play. Wesley Sneijder played the final pass to fellow Oranje stalwart Arjen Robben, who turned away from Czech left-back Martin Frydek and slipped a cool shot past Cech. The Netherlands would only be ahead for a couple of minutes. They were opened up by a great ball from Borek Dockal to Matej Vydra, who powered his shot into the far end of the net. Robin van Perise tried to restore the Netherlands’ advantage with an impressive solo effort on 35 minutes, but Cech made an equally fine catch. Five minutes later, Dockal knocked the ball upfield to give Vydra a great opportunity to make it 2-1 in the Czech Republic’s favour. In the end, Vydra could only fire his shot straight into Cillessen’s hands, and the half-time score remained 1-1.

 

Cillessen came to the Netherlands’ rescue again on 49 minutes, tipping Daniel Kolar’s shot over his crossbar. The Ajax custodian also kicked away another effort from Kolar five minutes later. Netherlands coach Danny Blind made a big change shortly afterwards, replacing van Persie with Luuk de Jong. de Jong would repay his manager’s faith by giving the Oranje the lead on 57 minutes, just a minute after coming on. The Monaco striker tucked in a rebound shot after Sneijder hit the post to leave the Czech Republic having to fight back from behind again. The Dutch sat back deeper to try and prevent this, with centre-backs Stefan de Vrij and Bruno Martins Indi making a number of big interceptions. Cillessen continued to do his bit as well, tipping wide a Krejci shot in the 68th minute. On 70 minutes, Czech substitute Vaclav Pilar attempted a long-range piledriver that flew high and wide. Pilar’s next effort seven minutes later came rather closer to goal, and it did at least force Cillessen into a catch. As the Dutch fans’ anxieties grew, de Jong headed wide a great chance to calm their fears in the 86th minute. That would be a costly miss, as the Czech Republic levelled in stunning fashion just two minutes before the end. Jakub Brabec drove the ball up from deep in the Czech half to Vydra, who raced through and beat Cillessen for a second time. That goal meant the tie was still well and truly up for grabs heading into the second leg in Amsterdam.

 

Czech Republic - 2 (Matej Vydra 30,88)

Netherlands - 2 (Arjen Robben 28, Luuk de Jong 57)

CZECH REPUBLIC LINE-UP: Petr Cech ©; Frantisek Rajtoral, Marek Suchy, Jakub Brabec, Martin Frydek (David Limbersky 75); Vladimir Darida, Tomas Horava (Petr Jiracek 56); Borek Dockal, Daniel Kolar, Ladislav Krejci (Vaclav Pilar 70); Matej Vydra. BOOKED: Krejci 59.

NETHERLANDS LINE-UP: Jasper Cillessen; Gregory van der Wiel, Stefan de Vrij, Bruno Martins Indi, Daley Blind; Jordy Clasie (Georginio Wijnaldum 70), Kevin Strootman (Jetro Willems 81); Arjen Robben ©, Wesley Sneijder, Memphis Depay; Robin van Persie (Luuk de Jong 56). BOOKED: de Vrij 19.

REFEREE: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Borek Dockal (Czech Republic).

[CFuller]

Round 6, Leg 1 Results

5 June 2016

Scotland vs France - at Hampden Park, Glasgow

It wasn’t surprising to see France have the better scoring chances early on. Antoine Griezmann’s shot in the third minute was superbly charged down by Scotland right-back Callum Paterson. The Scots would be pressurised again in the 7th minute, as Alexandre Lacazette’s cross was flicked just wide by Karim Benzema. France’s goalkeeping captain Hugo Lloris faced his first serious test four minutes later, as he diverted James Morrison’s strike over his crossbar. Lloris held onto another Morrison effort a couple of minutes after that, and Scotland’s mini-surge ended almost as quickly as it had begun. Morrison would have to do his bit defensively on 25 minutes, blocking a strike from Griezmann. On 36 minutes, Graeme Shinnie blocked a left-wing cross from Gaël Clichy before Griezmann could drive it home for Les Bleus. Benzema was first to the rebound, but his subsequent shot was too tame to seriously worry Tartan Army keeper David Marshall. Scotland then gave their opponents plenty to think about two minutes from half-time. After having his shot blocked by French midfielder Yohan Cabaye, James McArthur played the ball across to Matt Ritchie, whose effort was pushed away by Hugo Lloris. The hosts were now looking like they could spring a surprise.

 

France decided to up the tempo in the second half to try and stop Scotland from gaining any further ground. Blaise Matuidi blazed a volley over the bar in the first minute of the second half, while Lacazette missed from distance shortly afterwards. Lacazette’s next effort, on 53 minutes, was brilliantly blocked by Grant Hanley in the centre of Scotland’s defence. When Benzema’s shot in the 57th minute was desperately pushed away by Marshall, it seemed that Les Bleus were close to finally making the breakthrough. One careless long ball from the inexperienced Scottish winger Ryan Gauld in the 61st minute was just what France needed to hit the Tartan Army on the break. The counter-attack ended with Lacazette playing a centre to Paul Pogba, who sent a vicious shot beyond Marshall. France were finally ahead, but Pogba’s goal would’ve meant nothing if Les Bleus’ defenders weren't able to hold their nerve. Laurent Koscielny did hold his nerve in the 74th minute, throwing himself in front of a shot from Scottish substitute Ross McCormack. In the 83rd minute, Ritchie unleashed a blistering shot that beat Lloris... but struck the post and bounced back into play. Ritchie went close again a minute later as the Scots' valiant attempts to equalise ended fruitlessly. They would have to come from behind away from home if they were to stay in the competition.

 

Scotland - 0

France - 1 (Paul Pogba 61)

SCOTLAND LINE-UP: David Marshall; Callum Paterson, Grant Hanley, Christophe Berra, Graeme Shinnie (Ikechi Anya 78); James McArthur, Scott Brown ©; Matt Ritchie, James Morrison, Robert Snodgrass (Ryan Gauld 60); Leigh Griffiths (Ross McCormack 72).

FRANCE LINE-UP: Hugo Lloris ©; Bacary Sagna, Laurent Koscielny, Raphaël Varane, Gaël Clichy; Blaise Matuidi; Paul Pogba, Yohan Cabaye (Francis Coquelin 72); Alexandre Lacazette, Antoine Griezmann (Nabil Fékir 77); Karim Benzema.

REFEREE: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Alexandre Lacazette (France).

 

United States of America vs Austria - at LP Field, Nashville

Fabian Johnson started the game with a blistering volley for the United States that sailed wide in the third minute. Johnson’s next shot, on 16 minutes, was charged down by Austria defender Aleksandar Dragovic. Two minutes after that, Graham Zusi’s corner for Team USA was flicked over the bar by Jozy Altidore. After one more American miss, from Mix Diskerud in the 22nd minute, Austria got themselves ready to push forward and silence the rowdy Tennessee crowd. The American centre-backs were caught badly out of position in the 24th minute, when Dragovic’s header was nodded towards the penalty area by Martin Harnik. USA defender Matt Besler beat Austria striker Marcel Sabitzer to the loose ball and tried to pass it back to his keeper William Yarbrough. However, Besler woefully underhit his back-pass, which Sabitzer ran onto and stroked past Yarbrough! There would be more humiliation to come from Besler, though not before Yarbrough made a couple of excellent saves from Harnik and David Alaba. Then, in the 37th minute, came a moment that Besler really didn’t want to remember. The Sporting Kansas City defender’s headed interception from a Christian Fuchs cross only succeeded in nodding the ball into his own net, and the United States were 2-0 down at the break.

 

The American defence’s serious lack of focus was almost exploited again by Austria on 48 minutes. Sabitzer played an excellent ball to Harnik, who couldn’t quite get his shot past Yarbrough. Team USA’s goalkeeper continued to defy the Burschen in the 50th minute, tipping over an effort from winger Robert Gucher, whose next strike in the 61st minute cleared the bar. The United States tried desperately to battle back into contention, but Clint Dempsey’s wayward header from a Brek Shea corner in the 64th minute summed up their attacking efforts. Three minutes after that, Jürgen Klinsmann’s team fell three goals behind. Harnik stormed ahead of Tim Ream to connect with Sabitzer’s through-ball and finally hammer in the goal his performance arguably deserved. Sabitzer was then denied his second goal in the 70th minute by Yarbrough, who would come out of this match with plenty of credit despite his team-mates’ abject displays. The USA would only muster one shot on target all game. That was in the 83rd minute, when Alejandro Bedoya’s angled effort was blocked by the outstretched leg of Austrian keeper Cican Stankovic. The Americans’ World Championship dream looked like it was set to end, barring a dramatic turnaround in Austria.

 

United States of America - 0

Austria - 3 (Marcel Sabitzer 24, Matt Besler og37, Martin Harnik 67)

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA LINE-UP: William Yarbrough; Geoff Cameron, Matt Besler (Alejandro Bedoya 56), John Brooks, Tim Ream; Mix Diskerud, Michael Bradley ©; Graham Zusi (Brek Shea 56), Clint Dempsey, Fabian Johnson; Jozy Altidore (Aron Jóhansson 61). BOOKED: Bradley 69.

AUSTRIA LINE-UP: Cican Stankovic; Florian Klein, Martin Hinteregger, Aleksandar Dragovic, David Alaba; Robert Gucher (Julian Baumgartlinger 80), Zlatko Junuzovic (Raphael Holzhauser 74); Marko Arnautovic, Christian Fuchs © (Guido Burgstaller 74); Marcel Sabitzer, Martin Harnik.

REFEREE: Mark Clattenburg (England).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Marcel Sabitzer (Austria).

 

Greece vs Iceland - at Georgios Karaiskakis, Piraeus

The opening stages were largely frustrating for Greece’s forward players. Kostas Mitroglou was caught offside in the third minute, while José Holebas sent a half-volley wide in the eighth. Iceland had to defend deep early on, with centre-backs Hörður Magnússon and Ragnar Sigurðsson each making impressive interceptions for the visitors. Iceland’s first real scoring chance came through Emil Halfreðsson in the 12th minute, and Greek goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis just about managed to push the Udinese midfielder's effort behind. Disaster almost struck for the Galanolefki on 20 minutes, when Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson’s free-kick caused great panic. Kostas Manolas’ interception nearly put the ball into his own net, but Karnezis spared his blushes by pushing it away just in time. Kostas Fortounis then flicked a Greek header just over the Icelandic bar on 24 minutes. The breakthrough would be made seven minutes after that... by Iceland. Alfreð Finnbogason’s through-ball was drilled in by Kolbeinn Sigþórsson, and the advantage was with Strákarnir Okkar.

 

Hannes Þor Halldórsson had only needed to make one save in the Icelandic goal in the first half. He made his second save in the second minute of the second half, pushing a vicious Antonis Samaris strike wide. Halldórsson would then be severely tested by the resultant corner. Fortounis’ delivery was nodded on by Panagiotis Tachtsidis to Sokratis Papastathopoulos, whose shot Halldórsson desperately palmed away. After narrowly missing out on an equaliser, Greece would spend the next quarter-hour or so on the back foot. Finnbogason sent a shot wide for Iceland on 52 minutes, although Guðmundsson’s long-distance shot on 64 minutes did test Karnezis. Greece came forward again in the 76th minute, with substitute Thanos Petsos’ free-kick narrowly clearing Iceland’s crossbar. Both of the other Galanolefki subs would miss opportunities to level late on. Christos Donis missed in the 83rd minute, while Kyriakos Kivrakidis was off target twice - in the 87th minute, and in the second minute of injury time. In the end, Greece would have to settle for a 1-0 first-leg deficit, but they were feeling hopeful that they could fight back in Reykjavík.

 

Greece - 0

Iceland - 1 (Kolbeinn Sigþórsson 31)

GREECE LINE-UP: Orestis Karnezis; Vasilis Torosidis ©, Kostas Manolas, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Kostas Stafylidis; Ioannis Fetfatzidis (Kyriakos Kivrakidis 73), Andreas Samaris (Christos Donis 67), Panagiotis Tachtsidis (Thanos Petsos 62), José Holebas; Kostas Fortounis; Kostas Mitroglou. BOOKED: Samaris 67.

ICELAND LINE-UP: Hannes Þor Halldórsson; Haukur Heiðar Hauksson, Ragnar Sigurðsson, Hörður Magnússon, Ari Skúlason; Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson (Rúrik Gíslason 66), Gylfi Sigurðsson, Birkir Bjarnason (Elmar Bjarnason 60), Emil Halfreðsson; Alfreð Finnbogason, Kolbeinn Sigþórsson © (Jón Daði Böðvarsson 76). BOOKED: B Bjarnason 43.

REFEREE: Néstor Pitana (Argentina).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Kostas Fortounis (Greece).

 

Serbia vs Germany - at Rajko Mitic, Belgrade

Serbia wanted to stamp their mark on this game very quickly. Lazar Markovic attempted to chip Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer from all of 50 yards in the fourth minute... and he wasn’t too far away from pulling the improbable off! The Eagles had another early attempt at goal on seven minutes, but Zdravko Kuzmanovic was well off the mark. Germany woke up after that, and things looked ominous for Serbia when Thomas Müller volleyed in Marco Reus’ free-kick for the 2014 World Cup winners on 18 minutes. Two minutes later, though, Markovic got the Eagles back level with an incredible solo goal. The Fenerbahçe winger dribbled past Müller as he took the ball all the way from just past the halfway line to Germany’s penalty area, where he fired an unstoppable shot past Neuer! The Mannschaft were under the cosh again after 26 minutes, when Serbia striker Adem Ljajić’s shot was deflected behind by German left-back Jonas Hector. That was followed by a fresh German charge that saw Mario Götze have a couple of shots saved by the Serbs’ goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic. Then, in the 41st minute, Reus flighted a powerful free-kick into the corner of Stojkovic’s net. Germany were back in the lead, and it didn’t look like they would let go of it this time.

 

Serbia’s attacking prospects were damaged somewhat when Ljajić came off worse in a 50th-minute collision with Müller. Ljajić strained his thigh in the incident and would be substituted a few minutes later. Müller came through unscathed and narrowly headed a Reus free-kick wide in the 59th minute. Another German set-piece four minutes later would lead to the Mannschaft’s third goal. Toni Kroos provided the delivery on that occasion, and an unchallenged Götze leapt up to nod it beyond Stojkovic. Kroos was running the show in midfield for Germany, and he was unlucky not to get his name on the scoresheet from another free-kick in the 72nd minute. At 3-1 up, Germany’s short-term prospects looked rosy... but their long-term World Championship hopes suffered a massive blow four minutes later. Mesut Özil suddenly pulled up in serious pain and had to be stretchered off. He was subsequently found to have suffered a torn hamstring - an injury that would end his World Championship prematurely. Another player whose competition appeared to be over was Serbia midfielder Nemanja Gudelj. The Ajax player's trip on Götze in the 90th minute led to him receiving his second yellow card of the match. Gudelj was sent off for what little remained of the first leg and would be suspended from the second leg, which would almost certainly be the Eagles’ last match in this competition unless they could come back from 3-1 down.

 

Serbia - 1 (Lazar Markovic 20)

Germany - 3 (Thomas Müller 18, Marco Reus 41, Mario Götze 63)

SERBIA LINE-UP: Vladimir Stojkovic; Branislav Ivanovic ©, Neven Subotic (Uros Spajic 63), Nikola Maksimović, Aleksandar Kolarov; Nemanja Gudelj, Nemanja Matic; Zdravko Kuzmanovic; Lazar Markovic, Filip Kostic (Filip Djordjevic 45); Adem Ljajić (Andrija Zivkovic 56). BOOKED: Kolarov 31, Gudelj 63, Matic 71. SENT OFF: Gudelj 90.

GERMANY LINE-UP: Manuel Neuer; Jérôme Boateng, Mats Hummels, Holger Badstuber (Shkodran Mustafi 78), Jonas Hector; Thomas Müller, Bastian Schweinsteiger © (Sami Khedira 67), Toni Kroos, Marco Reus; Mesut Özil (Karim Bellarabi 78); Mario Götze. BOOKED: Schweinsteiger 37.

REFEREE: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Toni Kroos (Germany).

[CFuller]

Round 6, Leg 1 Results

6 June 2016

Russia vs Uruguay - at Luzhniki, Moscow

Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev earned his oats with a number of impressive saves in the first six minutes. In the third minute, he charged out of his six-yard box to push away a shot from Edinson Cavani, who had been played through by Luis Suárez. A couple of minutes after that, Akinfeev got a glove to a fierce strike from Diego Rodríguez, turning it behind. Akinfeev would make one more save shortly after that, from Gáston Ramírez’s banana shot. Nicolás Lodeiro and Suárez would miss further chances for La Celeste before Russia really gave them the blues in the 21st minute. Right-back Sergey Parshivlyuk’s cross to the near post was tucked away by Alexandr Kokorin, and the Russians had scored with their first real chance of the game. Their second attack, in the 27th minute, would also end in success. Igor Denisov’s volley from Alexandr Samedov’s corner was awkwardly saved by Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, who struggled to clear the ball away before Russian centre-back Vasily Berezutskiy prodded it home. Four minutes after slipping 2-0 behind, though, Uruguay clawed a goal back on the counter. Cavani cut inside and played a one-two with Walter Gargano before crossing to Suárez, whose header gave the visitors fresh hope. However, they then suffered a major setback in the 35th minute, as goalie Muslera dislocated his shoulder. Muslera’s competition was over, and Martín Silva had to take his place between the sticks. Silva would make one big save before half-time, turning behind a 41st-minute strike from Samedov to keep Russia’s lead down to 2-1.

 

An incisive counter-attack should have resulted in Russia doubling their advantage after 52 minutes. Samedov played the ball through to Kokorin, who got past Celeste centre-back José Giménez and attempted to chip the ball over Silva... but his shot sailed wide. Kokorin spurned another chance shortly afterwards, with Silva making a point-blank save from the Zenit St Petersburg forward. At the other end, Suárez seemed to lose his way somewhat, missing equalising opportunities in the 55th and 59th minutes. Martín Cáceres almost headed in an Álvaro Pereira cross for Uruguay in the 62nd minute, but Georgy Schennikov’s interception saved the day for Russia. As the tension rose, so did the foul count, with Russia’s Alan Dzagoev becoming the fifth player from either side to receive a yellow card following a 76th-minute trip on Cavani. Dzagoev failed to keep his cool, and when he tripped Cavani again three minutes later, he was given his marching orders. The resulting free-kick from Ramírez found Cavani, but Akinfeev’s impressive save kept the Russians ahead. After Cavani missed one final opportunity just before full-time, Uruguay resigned themselves to a narrow defeat in the first leg of what was already looking like a cracking tie.

 

Russia - 2 (Alexandr Kokorin 21, Vasily Berezutskiy 27)

Uruguay - 1 (Luis Suárez 31)

RUSSIA LINE-UP: Igor Akinfeev; Sergey Parshivlyuk, Vasily Berezutskiy, Roman Neustädter, Georgy Schennikov; Igor Denisov © (Sergey Petrov 74), Alan Dzagoev; Alexandr Samedov (Alexey Miranchuk 74 (Vladimir Granat 79)), Oleg Shatov, Denis Cheryshev; Alexandr Kokorin. BOOKED: Neustädter 33, Kokorin 38, Dzagoev 76. SENT OFF: Dzagoev 79.

URUGUAY LINE-UP: Fernando Muslera (Martín Silva 37); Martín Cáceres (Maxi Pereira 72), Diego Godín ©, José Giménez, Álvaro Pereira; Diego Rodríguez; Walter Gargano (Álvaro Fernández 67), Nicolás Lodeiro; Gastón Ramírez; Edinson Cavani, Luis Suárez. BOOKED: Godín 7, Cáceres 71, M Pereira 90.

REFEREE: Sandro Meira Ricci (Brazil).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Vasily Berezutskiy (Russia).

 

Paraguay vs England - at Defensores del Chaco, Asunción

Raheem Sterling came alive for England in the opening stages, as he had a number of chances to put the Three Lions in front. The first of them was blocked by Pablo Aguilar in the 8th minute, while Paraguay goalkeeper Gatito Fernández had to save Sterling’s next couple of efforts in the 9th and 11th minutes. England continued their positive start by taking the lead after 12 minutes. Theo Walcott knocked the ball across the Paraguayan goalmouth to his fellow Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who beat Marcos Cáceres to the ball and knocked it into the net. England could have had further reason to celebrate on 16 minutes, but Fernández saved Jordan Henderson’s volley from a Wayne Rooney free-kick. Harry Kane also had a pop at goal for the visitors on 24 minutes. His first strike rebounded back to him off Sterling, and the second was blazed wide. Paraguay remained under the cosh and had to defend against a number of English corners. They were particularly vulnerable on 38 minutes, when John Stones flicked Rooney’s delivery just wide. Two minutes after that, though, the Three Lions did go 2-0 up. Henderson sliced through La Albirroja’s defence to pick out Kane, who raced clear and powered the ball past Fernández. Paraguay would have to do much better in the second half if they weren’t to be swept away.

 

A surprisingly impressive display from England continued with a third goal in the 49th minute. Eric Dier played a low cross to his Tottenham Hotspur colleague Kane, who secured his brace and left the Paraguayan fans despairing again. The hosts had hardly troubled Jack Butland in the England goal throughout the first half. The Manchester City keeper would only have to save a handful of Paraguay shots during the second period, including a header from Víctor Ayala shortly after Kane had scored his second goal. Kane could've sealed his hat-trick on 60 minutes, but his header narrowly skimmed the bar. La Albirroja had their best opportunity of the match ten minutes later, with captain Gustavo Gómez flicking Ayala’s corner agonisingly over. Paraguay would remain stuck on nil, despite the best efforts of Angel Romero and Raúl Bobadilla, who each tested Butland late on. As for England, they would finish on four goals, with the last coming in stoppage time. Dier intercepted Ayala’s free-kick delivery into the Three Lions’ box and nodded it forward to Ross Barkley. The Everton midfielder then dribbled all the way to Paraguay’s area, where he teed up a simple finish for Kane, who at last wrapped up his third goal. England returned home with a sizeable 4-0 led, although Sterling was very doubtful for the second leg after gashing his head in an 81st-minute clash with Luis Cáceres.

 

Paraguay - 0

England - 4 (Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 12, Harry Kane 40,49,90)

PARAGUAY LINE-UP: Gatito Fernández; Marcos Cáceres, Gustavo Gómez ©, Pablo Aguilar, Miguel Samudio; Luis Cáceres, Néstor Ortigoza, Silvio Torales (Víctor Ayala 50); Luis Fariña (Óscar Romero 50); Angel Romero, Pablo Velázquez (Raúl Bobadilla 56). BOOKED: Samudio 33.

ENGLAND LINE-UP: Jack Butland; Eric Dier, John Stones, Chris Smalling, Luke Shaw; Jordan Henderson (Jack Wilshere 70), Wayne Rooney © (James Milner 60); Theo Walcott, Raheem Sterling, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Ross Barkley 76); Harry Kane.

REFEREE: Paolo Tagliavento (Italy).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Harry Kane (England).

 

Panama vs Algeria - at Rommel Fernández, Ciudad de Panamá

Panama gave their seeded opponents plenty to think about early on. Algerian defender Liassine Cadamuro had to block a shot in the third minute from Luis Tejada, who sent his next effort wide shortly afterwards. Algeria launched their first meaningful attack after eight minutes from a Faouzi Ghoulam free-kick. The ball bounced across Panama’s six-yard box and caused a mini-scramble before Islam Slimani drove it across the line. First blood to the Fennecs. Slimani headed wide a chance for 2-0 in the 10th minute before Panama moved forward again. Gabriel Torres and Valentín Pimental each failed to equalise, but Tejada succeeded in the 17th minute. The 34-year-old ran onto a weighted ball from Torres and had a shot parried by Azzedine Doukha before he converted the follow-up. Los Canaleros got their hopes up for another goal, only to be stung by an Algerian counter-attack on 26 minutes. Riyad Mahrez’s left-wing cross was headed into the net by Nabil Ghilas, and Algeria were back on top. The visitors looked good to strike again when Sofiane Feghouli took the ball up the left flank three minutes later... and then he pulled up mid-run wincing in agony. The Valencia winger had strained his knee ligaments and would not be seen again in this competition. Algeria struggled somewhat following the loss of one of their key players, and Doukha had to save a shot from Tejada in the 36th minute. The Fennecs did end the half strongly, though, with Mahrez having a shot saved by Panama goalkeeper Luis Mejía in added-on time.

 

Both sides tried to up their attacking efforts in the second half. Torres found Armando Cooper in a good position for Panama on 58 minutes, but the right-winger couldn’t quite keep his half-volley on target. Four minutes later, Mejía made a terrific save to keep out a close-range Algerian strike from Ghilas. Algeria would come on strong in the latter part of the half as their opponents started to tire. Mahrez was unfortunate not to hit the target from a header on 67 minutes, while Slimani nodded the ball into Mejía’s hands eight minutes later. Saphir Taïder would also be denied by Mejía in the 90th minute as the Fennecs came through the first leg with a narrow 2-1 lead. Algeria were on course to reach Round 7, but you couldn't rule out the possibility of Panama battling back in the second leg.

 

Panama - 1 (Luis Tejada 17)

Algeria - 2 (Islam Slimani 8, Nabil Ghilas 26)

PANAMA LINE-UP: Luis Mejía; Eybir Bonaga, Román Torres ©, Felipe Baloy, Eric Davis (Eric Vasquez 70); Armando Cooper, Gabriel Gómez (Amílcar Henríquez 64), Aníbal Godoy, Valentín Pimental (Rolando Escobar); Luis Tejada, Gabriel Torres. BOOKED: R Torres 37.

ALGERIA LINE-UP: Azzedine Doukha; Aïssa Mandi ©, Farouk Chafaï (Nacereddine Khoualed 78), Liassine Cadamuro (Mehdi Jean Tahrat 62), Faouzi Ghoulam; Sofiane Feghouli (Yacine Brahimi), Saphir Taïder, Nabil Bentaleb, Riyad Mahrez; Nabil Ghilas, Islam Slimani. BOOKED: Cadamuro 43.

REFEREE: Ben Williams (Australia).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Nabil Ghilas (Algeria).

 

South Korea vs Colombia - at Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul

Colombia midfielder Carlos Carbonero would test the referee’s patience in the first minute, picking up a very early yellow card after his tackle brought down Son Heung-Min. Son would have South Korea’s first shot on target a couple of minutes later, although his header didn’t force David Ospina to do much work. The Koreans’ next opportunities were rather disappointing, though they were still better than an effort from Colombia striker Carlos Bacca after 15 minutes. Bacca did the hard bit by bursting through on goal after running onto Juan Cuadrado’s long ball, but he was forced to shoot from a difficult angle, and the ball drifted so far wide that it went out for a throw-in. Falcao’s first effort for Los Cafeteros on 23 minutes was blocked by South Korean defender Hong Jeong-Ho. Both sides continued to struggle on the attacking front throughout the first half. The Taegeuk Warriors in particular looked far from their best, though Suk Hyun-Jun’s header in the 40th minute was saved by Ospina.

 

After a tight and tense first period, things picked up a little in the second half. Lee Yong got an excellent right-wing cross into the Colombian box on 49 minutes, and Son’s headed connection really should’ve turned the ball into the net. He missed the target completely, but Bacca didn’t when he had Colombia’s next attempt three minutes later. A tidy finish from Andrés Roa’s cut-back gave the AC Milan striker that long-awaited opening goal for Los Cafeteros. Colombia threatened their hosts again on 55 minutes, as Falcao’s cross from the byline was frantically pushed behind by Korean goalkeeper Kim Young-Kwang. South Korea pushed for an equaliser in the 72nd minute, with captain Lee Chung-Yong’s header from Park Joo-Ho’s cross prompting a fine catch from Ospina. Lee Yong went high and wide for the Taegeuk Warriors in the 80th minute, while Park Jong-Woo’s last-gasp half-volley was caught by Ospina. Colombia held on for a slender 1-0 win, though their lead could’ve been increased had Bacca done better with a shot that Kim Young-Kwang pushed behind on 81 minutes. Would that missed opportunity prove significant later down the line?

 

South Korea - 0

Colombia - 1 (Carlos Bacca 52)

SOUTH KOREA LINE-UP: Kim Young-Kwang; Lee Yong, Hong Jeong-Ho (Kim Ki-Hee 69), Kim Young-Gwon, Park Joo-Ho (Yun Suk-Young 74); Ki Sung-Yeung, Park Jong-Woo; Lee Chung-Yong ©, Koo Ja-Cheol, Son Heung-Min; Suk Hyun-Jun (Ji Dong-Won 63). BOOKED: Lee Y 30, Ki SY 81.

COLOMBIA LINE-UP: David Ospina; Juan Cuadrado, Cristián Zapata, Jeison Murillo, Camilo Zúñiga; Carlos Carbonero, Jefferson Lerma (Sebastián Pérez 76), Andrés Roa (Dorlan Pabón 63); James Rodríguez ©; Carlos Bacca, Falcao (Jackson Martínez 76). BOOKED: Carbonero 1.

REFEREE: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Lee Yong (South Korea).

[CFuller]

Round 6, Leg 1 Results

7 June 2016

Turkey vs Italy - at Atatürk Olimpiyat, Istanbul

A nervy start from Turkey saw midfielder Oğuzhan Özyakup get booked in the very first minute. The hosts could have conceded in the second, but Alessandro Florenzi’s half-volley for Italy drifted wide. Turkey also missed chances to take the lead early on via Hakan Çalhanoglu, who flighted a 4th-minute free-kick over, and Gökhan Töre, whose header cleared the bar in the 10th. After 17 minutes, Azzurri forward Manolo Gabbiadini taught young Çalhanoglu a lesson in free-kick-taking. Gabbiadini’s effort from just outside the penalty area ricocheted off the frame of the Turkish goal and rebounded into the net to make it 1-0 Italy. Another Azzurri free-kick caused Turkey some concern on 19 minutes, but Marco Verratti’s delivery from out wide was flicked off target by Gabbiadini. Turkey had a number of equalising opportunities midway through the half, with Burak Yılmaz twice being denied by superb blocks from Italian defensive stalwart Daniele De Rossi. Leonardo Bonucci also put his body on the line for the Azzurri, getting in the way of a powerful strike from Arda Turan in the 37th minute. The first half would end with a moment of concern for Italy’s right wing-back Ignazio Abate, who twisted his knee in the 40th minute. Abate would hobble through the rest of the first half, and then much of the second period, but he would have to miss at least the second leg afterwards.

 

Turkey were unlucky not to equalise within 20 seconds of the restart, as Italy captain Gianluigi Buffon displayed excellent reactions to catch Yılmaz’s header. On 55 minutes, De Rossi got in the way of Yılmaz’s next attempt at goal. Nuri Sahin found an opening for Turkey a minute later, but he couldn’t find the net from Turan’s cut-back. As the Crescent-Stars struggled to break through a resilient Azzurri backline, Onur Kıvrak kept the visitors’ lead down to 1-0 by saving Florenzi’s volley in the 59th minute. In the 66th, Ömer Toprak flicked a Çalhanoglu free-kick off target for the Turks. As home fans began to wonder about what their team had to do to get on the scoreboard, Turkey coach Fatih Terim brought on the experienced Galatasaray midfielder Selçuk İnan as a substitute. It would be an inspired tactical move. With ten minutes to go until full-time, İnan ran onto Kaan Ayhan’s cross to breach the Italian defence and - seemingly - earn his team a creditable draw. Töre sensed an opportunity to give Turkey more than just a draw in the 88th minute, but Buffon got to the Manchester City midfielder’s strike. Two minutes later, the Crescent-Stars were left stunned as another sublime Italian free-kick turned their draw into a defeat. Toronto FC forward Sebastian Giovinco’s shot rocketed past Kıvrak and gave the Azzurri a slight advantage after the first leg.

 

Turkey - 1 (Selçuk İnan 80)

Italy - 2 (Manolo Gabbiadini 17, Sebastian Giovinco 90)

TURKEY LINE-UP: Onur Kıvrak; Levin Öztunali (Kaan Ayhan 77), Ömer Toprak, Mehmet Topal, Caner Erkin; Gökhan Töre, Oğuzhan Özyakup, Nuri Sahin (Selçuk İnan 66), Arda Turan ©; Hakan Çalhanoglu (Serdar Aziz 80), Burak Yılmaz. BOOKED: Özyakup 1, Erkin 31, Yılmaz 73, Aziz 90.

ITALY LINE-UP: Gianluigi Buffon ©; Daniele De Rossi (Alessio Romagnoli 72), Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini; Ignazio Abate (Davide Santon 72), Claudio Marchisio, Matteo Darmian; Marco Verratti, Alessandro Florenzi; Lorenzo Insigne (Sebastian Giovinco 61), Manolo Gabbiadini. BOOKED: Marchisio 43.

REFEREE: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Manolo Gabbiadini (Italy).

 

Republic of Ireland vs Croatia - at Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Darren Randolph needed to be alert from the start, as he pushed behind a first-minute strike from Croatian winger Ilo Ilicevic. Croatia tried to test Randolph again in the 7th minute, but Ivan Perisic could not direct Luka Modric’s free-kick towards goal. Another Perisic header in the 11th minute failed to seriously trouble the West Ham United custodian, whose next major save was from Mario Mandzukic in the 20th. Captain Ivan Rakitic tried to get the Vatreni on the board after 24 minutes, but his first effort rebounded off Irish midfielder James McCarthy, and the second fizzed wide of goal. The Boys in Green got some more luck of the Irish after 34 minutes, when Mandzukic’s header rattled their bar. When Modric hit the post from a difficult angle five minutes later, Croatian fans could’ve been forgiven for wondering if Randolph was carrying a four-leafed clover somewhere in his kit. The Republic of Ireland had been on the defensive for almost the entire first half, with very few attacking forays into Croatia’s area, but they were still somehow on level terms.

 

It was Croatia’s turn to get lucky early in the second period. On 48 minutes, Robbie Brady played an excellent long ball to Shane Long, who caught the Vatreni defence out and looked odds-on to score... until he pulled his shot against the woodwork. Despite that, Shane wouldn’t take Long to make up for his awful miss. A couple of minutes later, Long beat Croatian defender Vedran Corluka to a cross from Aiden McGeady, which he prodded into the net. The Boys in Green appeared to have hit the jackpot... but their delight would last for a mere six minutes. Having missed countless chances from inside the area, Croatia finally got the better of Randolph with a 30-yard stunner from Perisic, who half-volleyed Mandzukic’s cross-field ball into the net! As the match heated up, the Republic of Ireland steadily lost their cool. Darron Gibson’s 60th-minute trip on Mandzukic resulted in a yellow card, as well as a Rakitic free-kick that was fired high and wide. Ireland would concede an alarming 29 fouls in total, though Gibson was one of only three green-clad players who had their names entered into the referee’s notebook. Long wasn’t among them, although he did trouble Croatia goalkeeper Danijel Subasic with a looping header in the 67th minute. Subasic just about managed to catch that effort, along with an attempt from Irish substitute Patrick Bamford in the 80th minute. Perisic then flicked a Croatian header against the post on 87 minutes as a thrilling match finished level at 1-1.

 

Republic of Ireland - 1 (Shane Long 50)

Croatia - 1 (Ivan Perisic 56)

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND LINE-UP: Darren Randolph; Seamus Coleman, Shane Duffy (Tommie Hoban 77), Alex Pearce ©, Marc Wilson; James McCarthy, Darron Gibson (David Meyler 65); Aiden McGeady, Alan Judge, Robbie Brady (Patrick Bamford 71); Shane Long. BOOKED: McCarthy 36, Gibson 60, Wilson 90.

CROATIA LINE-UP: Danijel Subasic; Sime Vrsaljko, Vedran Corluka, Dejan Lovren, Ivan Strinic (Antonio Milic 78); Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic (Marcelo Brozovic 72); Ivo Ilicevic (Adrien Thomasson 85), Ivan Rakitic ©, Ivan Perisic; Mario Mandzukic.

REFEREE: Matthew Conger (New Zealand).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Sime Vrsaljko (Croatia).

 

Equatorial Guinea vs Ghana - at Nuevo Estadio de Malabo, Malabo

Ghana had a major injury worry just seven minutes into this all-African tie. Midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah went down clutching his thigh and had to receive extensive treatment to get him through the rest of the match. With Asamoah not in the best of shape, Ghana looked to another midfielder for some inspiration early on. Bernard Mensah came close to driving them into the lead from distance in the 15th minute. Mensah tried his luck again four minutes later, but his shot cannoned off Equatorial Guinea defender Yoiver González. Asamoah would then overcome his injury and come good for the Black Stars on 26 minutes, as his long ball found the left-wing run of Albert Adomah. Adomah cut into the Equatorial Guinea area and crossed to André Ayew, whose header crept past goalkeeper Felipe Ovono before rustling into the net. André’s brother tried to join him on the scoresheet seven minutes later, but Jordan Ayew’s header from a Harrison Afful cross cleared the bar. Ghana would take a single-goal lead into the second half, having scarcely been tested by Equatorial Guinea in the first period. Randy’s shot in the 37th minute drifted wide, but it was the best that Nzalang Nacional could muster before the interval.

 

Bernard Mensah troubled the home team twice more early in the second half, with Ovono needing to punch away the second of those shots. Jonathan Mensah also attempted to beat Ovono in the 49th minute. The Equatoguinean keeper struggled to secure the ball, and Jordan Ayew came close to prodding it home before Ovono finally caught it in the nick of time. Ghana couldn’t keep up the same pace after their quick start to the half, and Equatorial Guinea were soon putting them under some pressure. Randy’s attempt for the hosts in the 72nd minute was blocked by Black Stars defender John Boye. Carlos Akapo blazed a shot over moments later, and Omar Mascarell then went wide twice in the closing stages as Equatorial Guinea’s efforts went unrewarded. With Ghana leading 1-0 and still to play their home leg, it appeared that Nzalang Nacional’s surprise run was about to end in Round 6.

 

Equatorial Guinea - 0

Ghana - 1 (André Ayew 26)

EQUATORIAL GUINEA LINE-UP: Felipe Ovono; Carlos Akapo, Jimmy Bermúdez (Rui 61), Yoiver González, Lato Aka Ekanza; Pedro Obiang, Omar Mascarell; Emilio Nsué, Viera Doualla © (Judson 45), Randy; Iván Bolado (Anatole N’Gamukol 61).

GHANA LINE-UP: Adam Kwarasey; Harrison Afful (Isaac Donkor 80), John Boye, Jonathan Mensah, Baba Rahman; Alfred Duncan; Bernard Mensah (Isaac Cofie 70), Kwadwo Asamoah; Albert Adomah, André Ayew ©; Jordan Ayew (Majeed Waris 75).

REFEREE: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Baba Rahman (Ghana).

 

Australia vs Argentina - at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne

Argentina wasted no time in asserting their class on Australia. Ángel Di María bent an excellent shot into the net after just 33 seconds to get La Albiceleste off to a dream start. Aussie goalkeeper Mathew Ryan narrowly prevented a second quick Argentine goal when he caught Sergio Agüero’s strike in the fourth minute. Ryan’s counterpart Marcelo Barovero would be tested for the first time a minute later, as he made light work of a strike from Socceroos forward Robbie Kruse. After that brief Argentine scare, it was back to business as usual for La Albiceleste. The crossbar denied Lionel Messi a goal from a direct free-kick in the 12th minute, and Di María was narrowly beaten to the rebound by Ryan. Australian fans were thanking their keeper again two minutes later, when he palmed Walter Kannemann’s goalward header behind. Barovero also received the plaudits of his supporters on 19 minutes after turning behind a counter-attacking shot from Mathew Leckie that could’ve easily led to Australia drawing level. The rest of the first period would be rather tense, particularly for home fans. Ryan continued to beat away the Argentines’ attempts almost on his own, saving efforts from Agüero in the 32nd minute and Nicolás Gaitán in the 41st. Without him, goodness knows how far behind the Socceroos would’ve been at half-time.

 

Another slow start saw Australia concede for a second time in the 49th minute. Centre-back Jason Davidson’s slide-tackle on Messi couldn’t prevent the ball from reaching Agüero, who put Argentina in a rather more comfortable position. The Aussies were really being outclassed now, and not even their main attacking threat Ryan Williams could get them back into the game. He was replaced after an hour with 21-year-old Christopher Oikonomidis, whose strike in the 62nd minute was pushed behind by Barovero. Salernitana forward Oikonomidis would face Barovero again after 72 minutes, but the goalkeeper made two impressive saves in quick succession to keep him quiet. Enzo Pérez was denied a third Argentine goal in the last minute of normal time by a superb save from Ryan. Messi’s subsequent corner deliver was headed over by Nicolás Otamendi, but La Albiceleste persevered in their search for another goal. Their patience paid off in the third additional minute, when Pérez drew a couple of Aussie defenders out of position before setting up Agüero’s second goal of the evening. Argentina finished with a comfortable 3-0 lead, while Australia already looked finished full stop. The Socceroos would have it all to do if they were to reach Round 7, especially with young midfielder Jackson Irvine out for the rest of the competition after straining his back in the closing moments.

 

Australia - 0

Argentina - 3 (Ángel Di María 1, Sergio Agüero 49,90)

AUSTRALIA LINE-UP: Mathew Ryan; Joshua Risdon (Ryan McGowan 71), Mark Milligan, Jason Davidson, Brad Smith; Mile Jedinak ©; Aaron Mooy (Rhys Williams 60), Jackson Irvine; Robbie Kruse, Ryan Williams (Christopher Oikonomidis 60); Mathew Leckie. BOOKED: Risdon 36, Irvine 57.

ARGENTINA LINE-UP: Marcelo Barovero; Pablo Zabaleta, Ezequiel Garay, Nicolás Otamendi, Walter Kannemann (Nicolás Tagliafico 78); Javier Mascherano; Augusto Fernández (Enzo Pérez 72), Ángel Di María; Lionel Messi ©, Nicolás Gaitán (Gonzalo Higuaín 78); Sergio Agüero. BOOKED: Fernández 37.

REFEREE: Mark Geiger (United States of America).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Sergio Agüero (Argentina).

[CFuller]

Quote

CAUTION: I should just warn you again that the following chapter contains scenes and dialogue that some readers may find disturbing. Reader discretion is strongly advised, and it perhaps goes without saying that the political views of one particular character in this chapter DO NOT in any way reflect my own.

In addition, this chapter specifically contains elements of the real-life attack on Atatürk Airport on 28 June, although some events - and the date - have been changed for narrative purposes. I am aware that there was another terrorist attack on a police bus in Istanbul on 7 June, but that has not been referenced here. I apologise in advance for any distress that may be caused by reading this chapter.

The football part of this story will continue tomorrow.

Tragedy In Istanbul

Istanbul. 7 June 2016. 10:00pm Eastern European Time.

 

Turkey's football fans were just beginning to come to terms with their team's 2-1 home defeat against Italy in Round 6 of the World Championship. Supporters had hoped that a strong result at the Atatürk Olimpiyat would give the Crescent-Stars a great chance of going deep into the tournament. A 90th-minute winner from Sebastian Giovinco left them heartbroken, but that defeat would soon be overshadowed by events of an even more serious nature.

 

Less than 10 minutes after the final whistle blew, two masked assailants - armed with automatic Kalashnikov rifles - opened fire at a security checkpoint at Atatürk Airport, situated around 10 miles away from the stadium. Police then returned fire before the assailants detonated their explosive belts.

 

At approximately the same time, a third gunman opened fire on scores of people inside Terminal 2. The gunman was then shot by a security officer and slumped to the floor. Seriously injured, he detonated his suicide belt and was killed instantly.

 

Hundreds of people inside the airport fled for their lives and hid anywhere they could during the attacks. They survived, but others were not so lucky.

 

Although the attacks only lasted around 90 seconds, the three attackers, who all committed suicide, left a trail of carnage and devastation in their wake. 45 innocent people lost their lives, while 200 others sustained non-fatal injuries.

 

A quarter of an hour later, at 10:15pm, another gunman entered a café situated just a few minutes' drive from the Atatürk Olimpiyat. Also armed with an automatic rifle, he took over 30 people - almost exclusively Turkish football supporters - hostage.

 

Police negotiators were fast on the scene and attempted to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. The stand-off lasted around half an hour... and then the sound of a shot being fired rang out at the café. Piercing female screams then followed.

 

Police immediately stormed into the café and aimed fire at the assailant, who briefly retaliated with gunfire of his own before going down under a hail of bullets. Almost all of the hostages were then rescued and escorted to safety... with one tragic exception.

 

A 22-year-old man, who had been watching the game with his girlfriend, was found unconscious on the floor with a bullet wound in the side of his skull. He was wearing a red Turkey football shirt that bore the name of star player Arda Turan on the back. An ambulance was called, but the man died of his injuries before medical help could arrive.

 

The night's events left 50 people dead in total, and the entire nation of Turkey was left reeling.

 

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım condemned the attacks and stated his belief that they were carried out by ISIL. The jihadist group did not publicly claim responsiblity, but according to several international analysts, these events bore all the hallmarks of an ISIL terror attack.

 

Some analysts believed that Turkey was being punished for increasing its efforts to combat ISIL in neighbouring Syria. Others recalled the propaganda video published in March that claimed football would be ISIL's next major target, and that "traitors of Allah" would be punished.

 

In the aftermath of the attacks, there were serious questions raised about whether Turkey would continue to compete in the World Championship. The murders of so many people, a large number of whom were Turkish nationals, had left the Crescent-Stars squad devastated.

 

However, on the afternoon following the tragedy, the President of Turkey's football federation - Yıldırım Demirören - announced, "After consultations with players, staff members and officials, we have decided that we will fulfil the second leg of our World Championship match against Italy in three days' time.

 

"We would like to express our sorrow for the victims of last night's horrific events and show solidarity with their families. We will continue to play in the World Championship in their honour."

 

Turkey head coach Fatih Terim also paid tribute to the victims, saying, "On Saturday night, we will honour the memories of our brothers and sisters who perished so pointlessly.

 

"We Turks are brave and resilient, and we will not bow down to the evils of extremism. We stood by the citizens of France and Belgium when their countries were attacked, and now we have to stay strong for ourselves."

 

Terim was particularly determined to lead his team out at the Olimpico in Rome. He spent around 18 months managing in Serie A between 2000 and 2001, taking Fiorentina to the Coppa Italia Final before a very brief and unsuccessful stint at AC Milan. The 'Imperatore' was still widely admired in Italy, even though he later returned to Turkey and never took another management job outside of his homeland again.

 

The President of Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC), Carlo Tavecchio, extended his sympathies to his Turkish counterparts and declared that "football will not be defeated by terrorists, not while all of us are on the same team".

 

Tavecchio was a very controversial character by most accounts. The 72-year-old had a substantial criminal record, having been imprisoned five times over the course of his career. Arguably more concerning to the football authorities, though, was his track record when it came to racism and homophobia.

 

In October 2014, Tavecchio was banned by UEFA for six months, having made racist comments about African players 'eating bananas' before coming to Italy to sign for major clubs.

 

A year later, he was recorded making discriminatory remarks about Jewish people and homosexuals while talking to the director of a major Italian football website. He denied being anti-Semitic or homophobic, but the second accusation would rear its ugly head again in the build-up to the World Championship finals.

 

As FIFA President Gio Bambini paid tribute to his long-term friend Marco Sepe before the FIFA Congress in May, Tavecchio was recorded telling a fellow delegate from Saudi Arabia, "I say good riddance to that f****t Sepe. The fewer gays in football, the better.

 

"Whoever dealt with Sepe should strangle Bambini too. I have evidence that Bambini is gay, and that he's trying to infiltrate football with a politically-correct agenda. He has to be stopped."

 

After those abhorrent comments were made public, a furious Bambini declared that Tavecchio was no longer welcome at FIFA. Privately, he ordered that Tavecchio be barred from attending any World Championship matches, including those involving Italy. That ban would be difficult to implement, though, as FIFA did not hold such authority.

 

The FIGC saw no reason why their own President should be forbidden from watching the Azzurri in action, and Tavecchio was therefore free to attend the second leg of Italy's Round 6 tie at the Olimpico. Bambini had originally been scheduled to arrive in Rome for that match, but after learning of Tavecchio's desire to attend, he instead travelled to Zagreb, to watch Croatia play the Republic of Ireland. FIFA officially stated that their President's last-minute change of heart was down to "personal reasons".

[sherwinriga]

I hope that the next second leg matches will be surprised as usual, but I also think that other teams may possible to win the series like Russia. Let's expect to see who advanced to Round 7.

[CFuller]

Round 6, Leg 2 Results

8 June 2016

Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina - at Stade de Suisse Wankdorf, Bern

A quick start from Xherdan Shaqiri saw Switzerland extend their aggregate lead early on. Shaqiri missed the target with a header in the very first minute, but just moments after that, he slipped a Stephan Lichtsteiner cross into the net. Bosnia & Herzegovina responded with an 11th-minute equaliser, volleyed in by Edin Dzeko from Senad Lulic’s left-wing delivery. Four minutes later, though, the Swiss were back in front on the night. Lichtsteiner’s delivery evaded Bosnian goalkeeper Asmir Begovic and found Haris Seferovic, who continued his impressive form with a fine finish. Lichtsteiner was already having an excellent game from right wing-back, and he almost created another Seferovic goal after 17 minutes. Begovic was just able to tip Seferovic’s shot behind on that occasion, and he also got a hand to a fierce long-ranger from the Monaco striker shortly afterwards. Switzerland continued to heap on the pressure, with Shaqiri floating a free-kick over the bar on 27 minutes and captain Johan Djourou sending a header wide five minutes later. After a few more missed chances from Seferovic, the hosts went into the break leading 5-2 on aggregate.

 

Switzerland continued to hunt for more goals in the second half. Seferovic’s weighted long ball created an opening for Tranquillo Barnetta in the 51st minute, but Muhamed Besic got back just in time to make a saving tackle for Bosnia & Herzegovina. Pajtim Kasami headed wide another chance for Switzerland shortly afterwards. The Zmajevi battled on in a bid to get back in the tie, but substitute Semir Stilic’s awful miss in the 59th minute would be their last real opportunity to save their skins. Switzerland cruised through the rest of the match without needing to score again, although Shaqiri missed a couple of chances to claim his second goal midway through the half. 19-year-old forward Breel Embolo also tried to add his name onto the scoresheet, with his best effort coming from an 82nd-minute shot that was deflected into Begovic’s hands. Bosnia & Herzegovina launched one final attack in the 90th minute, but Asmir Suljic’s shot was tipped behind by Swiss keeper Yann Sommer, and the Zmajevi were resigned to losing both legs.

 

Switzerland - 2 (Xherdan Shaqiri 2, Haris Seferovic 15)

Bosnia & Herzegovina - 1 (Edin Dzeko 11)

[switzerland win 5-2 on aggregate]

SWITZERLAND LINE-UP: Yann Sommer; Stephan Lichtsteiner, Fabian Schär, Johan Djourou ©, Ricardo Rodríguez; Fabian Frei (Luca Zuffi 66), Granit Xhaka, Pajtim Kasami; Xherdan Shaqiri, Tranquillo Barnetta (Admir Mehmedi 61); Haris Seferovic (Breel Embolo 66).

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA LINE-UP: Asmir Begovic; Mateo Susic, Emir Spahic, Ervin Zukanovic, Sead Kolasinac; Sanjin Prcic (Asmir Suljic 58), Muhamed Besic; Edin Visca (Semir Stilic 58), Miralem Pjanic (Jasmin Scuk 63), Senad Lulic; Edin Dzeko ©. BOOKED: Besic 32, Kolasinac 42, Prcic 53.

REFEREE: Roberto García Orozco (Mexico).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Stephan Lichtsteiner (Switzerland).

 

Portugal vs Mexico - at Estádio Nacional, Lisbon

Nani almost blasted in a sublime long-range shot for Portugal in the first minute. Mexico goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera did well to catch it, but he would come under further pressure as the game wore on. Adrien and Cristiano Ronaldo also spurned early chances for A Selecção before Talavera kept out another long-distance effort from Nani in the 10th minute. Four minutes after that, Talavera got his hands to a volley from Portuguese right-back João Cancelo. El Tri’s goalie looked rather less comfortable when he spilled an attempt from Daniel Carriço in the 16th minute, but Carlos Vela quickly removed the danger. Portugal’s wait for a breakthrough continued on 30 minutes, when Mexican captain Andrés Guardado cleared Danilo Pereira’s close-range shot off the line. Guardado would also have El Tri’s first shot on target a couple of minutes, though he couldn’t beat Rui Patrício with it. Javier Hernández then missed the target for the visitors after an impressive solo run in the 39th minute, while Orbelín Pineda won a corner off Rui Patrício four minutes after that. Portugal survived that corner, plus an injury-time attempt from Vela, to stay narrowly ahead on aggregate at the break.

 

Portugal were back up and running by the second half, as they won a couple of corners in quick succession. The second of those would lead to a goal after 51 minutes. Ronaldo nodded João Moutinho’s delivery towards the back post, where centre-back Carriço scored from a difficult angle. Mexico really were feeling the heat now, and Hernández missed a couple of opportunities to get a quick goal back before the hour mark. A Selecção then looked to kill the game off through Adrien, whose powerful effort was diverted over by Talavera in the 63rd minute. On 71 minutes, an excellent long ball from youngster Rúben Neves provided a magnificent opening for Nani, who somehow only scooped his shot over the crossbar. Ronaldo would also fail in his attempts to build on Portugal’s leads, with the best of three late efforts from the Real Madrid superstar being saved by Talavera on 85 minutes. Though Ronaldo was a little disappointed to have finished goalless, he and his team-mates were through to the last 16 of the World Championship.

 

Portugal - 1 (Daniel Carriço 51)

Mexico - 0

[Portugal win 3-1 on aggregate]

PORTUGAL LINE-UP: Rui Patricío; João Cancelo, Daniel Carriço, Paulo Oliveira, Fábio Coentrão; Danilo Pereira; João Moutinho (Rúben Neves 61), Adrien (William Carvalho 67); Nani, Ivan Cavaleiro (Vierinha 61); Cristiano Ronaldo ©.

MEXICO LINE-UP: Alfredo Talavera; José Carlos Van Rankin, Diego Reyes, Héctor Moreno, Miguel Layún; Jonathan dos Santos (Guido Pizarro 61), Orbelín Pineda (Giovani dos Santos 47), Héctor Herrera, Andrés Guardado © (Gallito Vázquez 61), Carlos Vela; Javier Hernández. BOOKED: Van Rankin 77.

REFEREE: Mark Clattenburg (England).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Daniel Carriço (Portugal).

 

Ukraine vs Denmark - at NSC Olympiyskyi, Kiev

Denmark were 3-1 up from the first leg, and the second leg started very brightly for them. Yussuf Poulsen narrowly headed wide an opportunity to put the Danish Dynamite three goals clear on four minutes. Two other reasons for encouragement from a Danish standpoint were that Ukraine talisman Andriy Yarmolenko picked up a yellow card after just two minutes, and that his fellow dangerman Eugene Konoplyanka sustained a knock shortly afterwards. When Viktor Fischer’s 17th-minute shot forced Ukrainian goalie Denys Boyko into a catch, it looked like this would be a difficult evening for the Yellow-Blue. Then came a potential turning point in the 33rd minute. Ukraine right-back Artem Fedetskyi opened up the Danish defence with an impressive cross towards Konoplyanka, who ran onto it and cut the hosts’ deficit down to a single goal. That was how the situation remained at the break, although Denmark captain Daniel Agger hit the post in injury time with a shot that could’ve restored his team’s two-goal cushion.

 

The tide continued to turn after the interval. Agger and two of his Danish colleagues received yellow cards within the first 10 minutes, during which Yarmolenko missed the target with a half-volley that could’ve put Ukraine ahead on away goals. Ukraine’s next chance to take the initiative was struck from distance by Konoplyanka in the 65th minute, and Danish goalie Kasper Schmeichel turned it behind. A minute later, Konoplyanka pulled a shot wide from the corner of the penalty area. Denmark’s anxiety grew when Nicolai Jørgensen fired wide fellow substitute Riza Durmisi’s free-kick in the 72nd minute. Jørgensen’s inability to put the Danes back in a strong position would be very significant. Seven minutes later, Yarmolenko crossed to Ukrainian sub Roman Zozulya, who shook off Danish defenders Daniel Wass and Andreas Christensen before curling the ball into the corner of the net. The Yellow-Blue were celebrating again about a minute later after Yarmolenko floated an angled shot beyond Schmeichel to give his team a clear lead. The Danish Dynamite had imploded! Yarmolenko nearly rubber-stamped Ukraine’s progress in the 86th minute, but he was denied by Schmeichel and then the post. Nevertheless, that late surge would see Ukraine through to the next round, as Denmark didn’t have the energy to launch a comeback.

 

Ukraine - 3 (Eugene Konoplyanka 33, Roman Zozulya 79, Andriy Yarmolenko 80)

Denmark - 0

[ukraine win 4-3 on aggregate]

UKRAINE LINE-UP: Denys Boyko; Artem Fedetskyi, Eugene Khacheridi, Yaroslav Rakitskyi, Eugene Makarenko; Ruslan Rotan © (Sergiy Sydorchuk 56), Sergiy Rybalka; Andriy Yarmolenko, Victor Kovalenko (Vitality Buyalskyi 61), Eugene Konoplyanka; Eugene Seleznyov (Roman Zozulya 56). BOOKED: Yarmolenko 2, Khacheridi 37.

DENMARK LINE-UP: Kasper Schmeichel; Jores Okore, Andreas Christensen, Daniel Agger ©; Daniel Wass, Nicolai Boilesen (Riza Durmisi 68); Christian Eriksen, Thomas Delaney, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg; Viktor Fischer (Nicolai Jørgensen 63), Yussuf Poulsen (Andreas Cornelius 57). BOOKED: Delaney 47, Wass 50, Agger 55.

REFEREE: Wílmar Alexander Roldán (Colombia).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Artem Fedetskyi (Ukraine).

 

Netherlands vs Czech Republic - at Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam

The first leg had seen both teams share four goals, and there would definitely be more to come in the second leg. The stranglehold was broken after only 37 seconds, when Jakub Brabec headed in Vladimir Darida’s free-kick for the Czech Republic. The Netherlands tried to cancel out that early goal with one of their own, but Memphis Depay couldn’t get his shot on target. Bruno Martins Indi and Jordy Clasie would also spurn chances for the Oranje before the Czechs struck again on 19 minutes. Daniel Kolar fed the ball to Matej Vydra in the danger area, and Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen could only help palm Vydra’s shot into the net. The Netherlands now needed at least two goals to force a penalty shoot-out at worst. Kevin Strootman threatened to get the first of them on 21 minutes, but Czech captain Petr Cech pushed his shot over the crossbar just in time. A couple of minutes after that, Stefan de Vrij flicked Wesley Sneijder’s corner over that same bar. The Czech Republic were back on the offensive by the 32nd minute, when Ladislav Krejci’s shot prompted Cillessen into a catch. Krejci then hit the post in the 45th minute as the half ended with his team still 2-0 up. Would that be enough for them to go through?

 

If the early stages of the second half were anything to go by, it was very doubtful that two goals would be enough for the Czech Republic. Dutch captain Arjen Robben halved their lead on 51 minutes with a sublime curling effort struck from all of 35 yards. Five minutes later, the other half of that lead looked very fragile. Georginio Wijnaldum slipped the ball ahead of his Netherlands team-mate Robin van Persie, but Czech defender Jakub Brabec got to the ball first... and almost slid it into his own net! Only a superb save from Cech, which deflected the ball against the post and back into play, spared Brabec’s blushes. In the 60th minute, Krejci hit the post with a volley from Borek Dockal’s long ball that could’ve put the Czech Republic in a stronger position. A minute later, right-back Gregory van der Wiel’s clumsy tackle on Krejci weakened the Netherlands’ own position further. van der Wiel was already on a yellow card, and his second booking left the Oranje with only 10 men. The Czechs now had the freedom to dictate the rest of the match. Vydra had two attempts at goal saved by Cillessen in the 68th minute as the match slowly slipped away from the Netherlands. The hosts’ last chance to save a draw and take the game to penalties came six minutes from time. Robben’s free-kick into the penalty area found Virgil van Dijk... and the Southampton defender pulled his shot inches wide. That signalled the end for the Netherlands, who had once again flattered to deceive at a major international tournament.

 

Netherlands - 1 (Arjen Robben 51)

Czech Republic - 2 (Jakub Brabec 1, Matej Vydra 19)

[Czech Republic win 4-3 on aggregate]

NETHERLANDS LINE-UP: Jasper Cillessen; Gregory van der Wiel, Stefan de Vrij, Bruno Martins Indi, Daley Blind; Jordy Clasie (Virgil van Dijk 61), Kevin Strootman; Arjen Robben ©, Wesley Sneijder (Georginio Wijnaldum 51), Memphis Depay; Robin van Persie (Luuk de Jong 57). BOOKED: van der Wiel 40, van Dijk 90. SENT OFF: van der Wiel 61.

CZECH REPUBLIC LINE-UP: Petr Cech ©; Frantisek Rajtoral, Marek Suchy, Jakub Brabec (Vaclav Prochazka 76), David Limbersky; Vladimir Darida, Tomas Horavec (David Pavelka 61); Borek Dockal, Daniel Kolar, Ladislav Krejci (Vaclav Pilar 79); Matej Vydra. BOOKED: Rajtoral 31, Kolar 59, Suchy 84.

REFEREE: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Jakub Brabec (Czech Republic).

[CFuller]

Round 6, Leg 2 Results

9 June 2016

France vs Scotland - at Stade de France, Saint-Denis

France gave their home fans some early cheer in the third minute of the second leg. Paul Pogba exchanged passes with Yohan Cabaye and hit an excellent shot that Scotland keeper David Marshall could only parry to Antoine Griezmann, whose follow-up put Les Bleus 2-0 up on aggregate. The Tartan Army attempted to strike back a minute later, but French captain Hugo Lloris pushed Matt Ritchie’s strike behind. Ritchie would receive a yellow card in the 18th minute following a trip on Griezmann. That was a sign of things to come from a Scottish team that struggled to keep its discipline. They would be feeling more stressed three minutes later, when Griezmann finished a right-wing delivery from Alexandre Lacazette. Blaise Matuidi blasted Les Bleus’ next shot off target in the 25th minute as Scotland’s task grew more and more difficult. The Tartan Army would claim the first of three goals they needed after 29 minutes. Robert Snodgrass’ free-kick was nodded forward by captain Scott Brown, and Grant Hanley flicked the ball across the goalmouth before left-back Graeme Shinnie provided a cool finish. Snodgrass then fired over a free-kick in the 38th minute, not long after receiving Scotland’s second yellow card of the game. The Scots perhaps needed to calm down a bit if they were to complete the fightback in the second period.

 

Brazilian referee Sandro Meira Ricci would be very busy in the second half. The yellow card came out twice more in the 49th minute, as Matuidi and Shinnie were booked in separate incidents. France started to keep their cool following Matuidi’s caution, but Scotland couldn’t keep theirs. Defenders Christophe Berra and Callum Paterson would also receive yellow cards either side of a 60th-minute French chance that Karim Benzema sent just wide. Darren Fletcher made it six Scottish bookings when he tripped Griezmann in the 63rd minute. The stop-start nature of this match prevented either team from building up any real momentum after the break, and the quality greatly suffered as a result. French substitute Kevin Gameiro almost brought the game back to life on 75 minutes, when he took Cabaye’s direct ball on the bounce and fired it just wide. Gameiro would later have another attempt at goal, which was caught by Marshall, but not before Hanley received Scotland’s SEVENTH yellow card of the evening. Though France were definitely the stronger team in this tie, Scotland had arguably played a major role in their own downfall.

 

France - 2 (Antoine Griezmann 3,21)

Scotland - 1 (Graeme Shinnie 29)

[France win 3-1 on aggregate]

FRANCE LINE-UP: Hugo Lloris ©; Bacary Sagna, Laurent Koscielny, Raphaël Varane, Gaël Clichy; Blaise Matuidi; Paul Pogba (Francis Coquelin 67), Yohan Cabaye; Alexandre Lacazette (Nabil Fékir 72), Antoine Griezmann; Karim Benzema (Kevin Gameiro 72). BOOKED: Clichy 29, Matuidi 49.

SCOTLAND LINE-UP: David Marshall; Callum Paterson, Grant Hanley, Christophe Berra, Graeme Shinnie; Scott Brown © (Darren Fletcher 61), James McArthur; Matt Ritchie, James Morrison (Ross McCormack 56), Robert Snodgrass (Ryan Gauld 45); Leigh Griffiths. BOOKED: Ritchie 18, Snodgrass 35, Shinnie 49, Berra 57, Paterson 61, Fletcher 63, Hanley 80.

REFEREE: Sandro Meira Ricci (Brazil).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Antoine Griezmann (France).

 

Austria vs United States of America - at Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna

The United States needed to beat Austria by at least three goals in Vienna to stay alive - a difficult task, though not an impossible one. Skipper Michael Bradley could’ve claimed the first of those goals on nine minutes, but Austria goalie Cican Stankovic caught his header from Graham Zusi’s free-kick. Stankovic made another excellent save in the 22nd minute, denying Clint Dempsey from close range. The USA came forward again moments later, but Zusi’s effort drifted miles wide. Zusi looked like the big dangerman in Team USA, and in the 34th minute, his cross set up another golden chance that was headed inches over by Dempsey. After surviving those attacks, Austria concluded the first half by forcing the Americans back into their own half and winning a number of corners. None of those set-pieces resulted in any serious scoring opportunities, but they did at least stop the visitors from building up a head of steam.

 

The USA really struggled with nerves in the second half, with loads of passes going astray and giving Austria the initiative. The Burschen looked like enhancing their aggregate lead on 64 minutes, when striker Martin Harnik turned past American defender Michael Orozco Fiscal and latched onto an excellent pass from Louis Schaub. Harnik’s shot was comfortably caught by William Yarbrough in the end, but that was an encouraging move from Austria. Five minutes later, Austrian defender Aleksandar Dragovic made a vital block from Jozy Altidore after the USA striker had run onto an excellent direct ball from Fabian Johnson. The United States’ next attack in the 75th minute would also end fruitlessly, as John Brooks flicked Zusi’s free-kick wide. The Americans would not get any more chances to save their World Championship status. Yarbrough kept the second leg goalless with late saves from Schaub and Zlatko Junuzovic, but it was the first leg that had done the damage to Team USA. They were heading back for home, while Austria’s challenge continued into Round 7.

 

Austria - 0

United States of America - 0

[Austria win 3-0 on aggregate]

AUSTRIA LINE-UP: Cican Stankovic; Florian Klein (Christopher Dibon 68), Martin Hinteregger, Aleksandar Dragovic, Christian Fuchs © (Robert Gucher 61); Zlatko Junuzovic, David Alaba; Florian Grillitsch, Alessandro Schöpf, Louis Schaub; Martin Harnik (Marcel Sabitzer 68). BOOKED: Junuzovic 50.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA LINE-UP: William Yarbrough; Timothy Chandler, Michael Orozco Fiscal, John Brooks, Tim Ream (Édgar Castillo 62); Graham Zusi, Geoff Cameron (Wil Trapp 62), Mix Diskerud (Jozy Altidore 45), Michael Bradley ©, Fabian Johnson; Clint Dempsey. BOOKED: Zusi 47.

REFEREE: Paolo Tagliavento (Italy).

MAN OF THE MATCH: John Brooks (United States of America).

 

Iceland vs Greece - at Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík

Andreas Samaris missed the target with a fifth-minute opportunity for Greece, who needed to overturn a narrow deficit from their home leg. Iceland looked to make home advantage in the decider count four minutes later. Emil Halfreðsson sidefooted playmaker Gylfi Sigurðsson’s pass first-time to captain Kolbeinn Sigþórsson, whose shot rattled the crossbar before falling into Greek goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis’ hands. On 17 minutes, Sokratis Papastathopoulos narrowly flicked wide a promising corner from his Greece team-mate José Holebas. Both of those players would receive yellow cards over the next three minutes as things slowly turned Strákarnir Okkar’s way. Karnezis did brilliantly to keep out shots from Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson in the 22nd minute and Sigþórsson in the 25th. Iceland’s hopes of strengthening their lead were hurt when Gylfi Sigurðsson sustained a dead leg in a 31st-minute challenge from Greek midfielder Panagiotis Tachtsidis, who was booked as a consequence. Sigurðsson would return to the field after some treatment, and Iceland again threatened to strike on 36 minutes, when Sigþórsson’s powerful strike was superbly caught by Karnezis. At half-time, this tie still looked very difficult to call.

 

Both teams’ lead strikers missed chances early in the second half - Kostas Mitroglou in the 46th minute for Greece, and Sigþórsson in the 49th for Iceland. The hosts’ next effort, from Guðmundsson on 52 minutes, was blocked by Tachtsidis. After going through the first hour without registering a shot on target, the visiting Galanolefki showed a bit more urgency in the closing half-hour. After 67 minutes, Kostas Fortounis ran through the Icelandic defence and prodded in a right-wing delivery from substitute Kyriakos Kivrakidis. A penalty shoot-out was now on the cards after that goal... but Greece didn’t want that. Greek coach Michael Skibbe made a bold change in the wake of that goal, replacing Mitroglou with a fresh striker in Apostolos Giannou. That tactical switch would pay dividends within five minutes. Giannou stretched out a leg to divert fellow sub Kivrakidis’ cross between Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Þor Halldórsson and his left-hand post. The game had been turned on its head, and Iceland now had no option other than to go back on the attack. They also needed Gylfi Sigurðsson to be at his best... but a poor free-kick in the 84th minute suggested that the leg injury he’d sustained early on was now really affecting him. A minute later, though, Gylfi found Jón Daði Böðvarsson in bags of space near the penalty area. Böðvarsson collected Sigurðsson’s pass and entered the area, where he somehow scooped a shot over the bar. That miss virtually killed off Iceland, who would be frozen out of the remainder of the tournament. Greece was still the word as the Galanolefki successfully negotiated a third round.

 

Iceland - 0

Greece - 2 (Kostas Fortounis 67, Apostolos Giannou 72)

[Greece win 2-1 on aggregate]

ICELAND LINE-UP: Hannes Þor Halldórsson; Haukur Heiðar Hauksson (Elmar Bjarnason 61), Ragnar Sigurðsson, Sverrir Ingi Ingason, Hörður Magnússon; Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson (Rúrik Gíslason 67), Gylfi Sigurðsson, Birkir Bjarnason, Emil Halfreðsson; Alfreð Finnbogason (Jón Daði Böðvarsson 61), Kolbeinn Sigþórsson ©.

GREECE LINE-UP: Orestis Karnezis; Vasilis Torosidis ©, Kostas Manolas, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Kostas Stafylidis; Ioannis Fetfatzidis, Andreas Samaris (Thanos Petsos 63), Panagiotis Tachtsidis, José Holebas (Kyriakos Kivrakidis 53); Kostas Fortounis; Kostas Mitroglou (Apostolos Giannou 67). BOOKED: Papastathopoulos 18, Holebas 20, Tachtsidis 31.

REFEREE: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Kostas Fortounis (Greece).

 

Germany vs Serbia - at Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund

Serbia were unfortunate not to take the lead after just eight minutes. Filip Djordjevic played a one-two with Filip Djuricic and then fired a shot just inches over the crossbar. That could’ve been a costly miss for the Eagles, but Germany forward Thomas Müller was unable to punish them when he volleyed Marco Reus’ cross wide on 11 minutes. The Mannschaft’s next couple of scoring chances came from their centre-back Mats Hummels. The Borussia Dortmund star flicked a Toni Kroos corner over on 17 minutes, and then drove the ball into Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic’s hands three minutes later. Rajkovic saved his team again in the 23rd minute, parrying a long-ranger from Müller behind his goal. The Eagles flew back towards the German goal on 31 minutes, as skipper Branislav Ivanovic floated an ambitious effort over. Serbia were feeling that they could overcome the odds and upset the second seeds... but then Filip Kostic conceded a penalty to the Germans just before half-time. Kostic’s trip on Jérôme Boateng gave Müller the opportunity to give the Mannschaft a three-goal lead from the spot. He couldn’t take it, as Rajkovic’s excellent low save arguably kept Serbia in the tie.

 

There would be more agony in front of goal for Müller after 51 minutes. The Bayern Munich star got his head to a flick-on from Hummels, but he couldn’t keep the attempt down. Seven minutes later, Germany were facing some difficult questions. Defender Holger Badstuber’s missed interception from a Kostic cross left 19-year-old Andrija Zivkovic free to drive Serbia into the lead on the night. The Eagles still required another couple of goals, and for their hosts to remain goalless, if they were to reach Round 7, but it was a start at least. That goal also scared the Germans back into life, and by the 65th minute, they were pushing for a goal that would surely finish Serbia off. Müller ran onto an excellent weighted ball from Mario Götze, who had been surprisingly quiet in this match beforehand, but Rajkovic stuck a leg out to block the shot. Attacking midfielder Götze then showed that he could do his bit defensively in the 81st minute, when his intervention deflected a shot from Serbia midfielder Nemanja Matic behind. That effectively signalled the end of the Eagles’ attacking endeavours. A place in Round 7 was beyond Serbia’s reach now, so they instead tried to see out what would’ve been a good consolation win away from home. Rajkovic kept out a 90th-minute shot from German substitute Karim Bellarabi to keep the Serbs in front, but his relief would be short-lived. Later in that same minute, Rajkovic parried a close-range header from Reus, only to see Zdravko Kuzmanovic scuff a clearance into the net and end Serbia’s hopes of winning the second leg.

 

Germany - 1 (Zdravko Kuzmanovic og90)

Serbia - 1 (Andrija Zivkovic 58)

[Germany win 4-2 on aggregate]

GERMANY LINE-UP: Manuel Neuer; Jérôme Boateng, Mats Hummels, Holger Badstuber, Jonas Hector (Marcel Schmelzer 70); Marco Reus, Bastian Schweinsteiger © (Emre Can 64), Toni Kroos, Kevin Volland (Karim Bellarabi 70); Mario Götze; Thomas Müller. BOOKED: Kroos 71.

SERBIA LINE-UP: Predrag Rajkovic; Branislav Ivanovic ©, Neven Subotic, Matija Nastasic, Aleksandar Kolarov; Radosav Petrovic (Zdravko Kuzmanovic 76), Nemanja Matic; Lazar Markovic (Andrija Zivkovic 56), Filip Kostic; Filip Djuricic; Filip Djordjevic (Aleksandar Mitrovic 58). BOOKED: Markovic 12, Petrovic 14, Kolarov 46, Matic 84.

REFEREE: Daniele Orsato (Italy).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Marco Reus (Germany)

[CFuller]

Round 6, Leg 2 Results

10 June 2016

Uruguay vs Russia - at Estadio Centenario, Montevideo

After winning the first leg 2-1, Russia’s gameplan in the second leg was to defend deep, and only very occasionally counter-attack. The Russians lined up in a very cautious 3-4-2-1 formation as they looked to frustrate Uruguay as much as possible. Luis Suárez almost tore that plan apart in the second minute, when he headed a Martín Cáceres cross just over the bar. Rodrigo Mora also flicked a header off target for Uruguay moments later. Russia’s first counter-attack came in the 10th minute, when Alexandr Kokorin half-volleyed a Sergey Parshivlyuk cross against the post. The visitors rushed back into defence when the Ukrainians launched a quick counterstrike of their own, with Alexey Berezutskiy doing well to block a shot from Mora. Edinson Cavani and José Giménez were the next Celeste players to miss chances when they headed wide in the 22nd and 30th minutes respectively. Russia attacked again on 33 minutes, with Uruguay goalkeeper Martín Silva having to stand his ground to parry a powerful effort from Parshivlyuk. Silva would then save a Kokorin volley just before the teams went into the dressing rooms with the second leg still goalless. Uruguay felt particularly annoyed, as they’d had a penalty claim waved away in the 38th minute after Diego Rodríguez claimed that he’d been fouled by Alexey Berezutskiy in the area.

 

Russia showed some more attacking intent early in the second half, as Parshivlyuk hit the crossbar with a curling long-ranger. They would be back on the defensive by the 49th minute, when goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev pushed away a right-wing cross from Cáceres. A minute after that, Russian midfielder Roman Neustädter blocked a powerful shot from Uruguayan counterpart Walter Gargano. Cavani and Cáceres would each test Akinfeev again before the half-hour, with the former having another chance turned away by the visiting goalie on 66 minutes. Although it would only take one goal to tip the balance in Uruguay’s favour, the Russian rearguard continued to hold firm and keep the seeds off the scoreboard. After Diego Rolan drove an effort wide in the 87th minute, and Cavani’s final effort was caught by Akinfeev in the 89th, La Celeste ran out of energy and ideas. They crashed out of the World Championship early, while Russia marched on to Round 7.

 

Uruguay - 0

Russia - 0

[Russia win 2-1 on aggregate]

URUGUAY LINE-UP: Martín Silva; Martín Cáceres (Maxi Pereira 77), Diego Godín ©, José Giménez, Álvaro Pereira; Diego Rodríguez (Álvaro Fernández 72); Walter Gargano, Nicolás Lodeiro; Edinson Cavani, Luis Suárez; Rodrigo Mora (Diego Rolan 56). BOOKED: Á Pereira 50.

RUSSIA LINE-UP: Igor Akinfeev; Vasily Berezutskiy, Alexey Berezutskiy, Vladimir Granat; Sergey Parshivlyuk (Ibragim Tsallagov 79), Igor Denisov ©, Sergey Petrov, Denis Cheryshev; Roman Neustädter, Oleg Shatov (Alexey Miranchuk 68); Alexandr Kokorin (Artem Dzyuba 73). BOOKED: Petrov 35, Denisov 90.

REFEREE: Felix Brych (Germany).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Nicolás Lodeiro (Uruguay).

 

England vs Paraguay - at Wembley, London

There was a relaxed atmosphere at Wembley, as England knew that they were already set to go through to Round 7 barring an extraordinary turnaround. Paraguay already looked beaten and showed very little confidence in the first half. The travelling fans feared that their team would fall even further behind on 17 minutes, when goalkeeper Gatito Fernández spilled Eric Dier’s cross behind to concede a soft corner. That corner eventually led to another, as Luke Shaw’s shot was deflected behind off Paraguayan defender Marcos Cáceres. Corner number two would end fruitlessly for England after Theo Walcott blasted the ball well off target. Walcott fared better in the 22nd minute, when his cross set up a Harry Kane volley that Fernández frantically pushed wide. La Albirroja would need Fernández to try and bail them out again in the 25th minute after Miguel Samudio tripped Walcott to concede a penalty. Wayne Rooney stepped up to take the penalty for the Three Lions, knowing that he would become England’s joint-top international scorer with Bobby Charlton if he secured his 49th goal here. Alas, he couldn’t write his name into the history books just yet, as Fernández made a superb save. Fernández was having a very impressive game for Paraguay, but all these saves he was making were taking their toll. He had to come off briefly to receive treatment after hurting himself whilst saving a powerful strike from Kane in the 32nd minute. Fernández was soon back in goal, though, and he would deny both Chris Smalling and Walcott in the latter stages of the first period.

 

England goalkeeper Jack Butland was a virtual spectator in the first half, but he would have to do at least some work in the second. A routine catch by Butland from Angel Romero in the 50th minute kept Paraguay stuck on nil. Eight minutes later, Albirroja winger Raúl Bobadilla hit an awful effort that failed to get anywhere near Butland, whose next save thwarted Óscar Romero on 65 minutes. The Three Lions then made a couple of substitutions, and the two players they brought on would link up beautifully in the 71st minute. Playmaker Ross Barkey found Saido Berahino fractionally onside, and he rolled the ball forward for the Tottenham Hotspur striker to smack in his first international goal. That goal made England’s already comfortable position even more so, and there was no way back into the tie for Paraguay. Despite a couple of late efforts from widemen Víctor Ayala and Bobadilla, La Albirroja remained goalless as Butland preserved England’s proud record of having not yet conceded in the World Championship. Were the Three Lions emerging as contenders?

 

England - 1 (Saido Berahino 71)

Paraguay - 0

[England win 5-0 on aggregate]

ENGLAND LINE-UP: Jack Butland; Eric Dier (Carl Jenkinson 71), John Stones, Chris Smalling, Luke Shaw; Jordan Henderson, James Milner; Theo Walcott (Saido Berahino 66), Wayne Rooney © (Ross Barkley 66), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain; Harry Kane.

PARAGUAY LINE-UP: Gatito Fernández; Marcos Cáceres, Gustavo Gómez ©, Pablo Aguilar, Miguel Samudio; Raúl Bobadilla, Néstor Ortigoza (Silvio Torales 56), Luis Cáceres (Óscar Romero 61), Víctor Ayala; Luis Fariña (José Leguizamón 67); Angel Romero. BOOKED: M Cáceres 16.

REFEREE: Mark Geiger (United States of America).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Ross Barkley (England).

 

Algeria vs Panama - at Stade Olympique du 5 Juillet, Algiers

Algeria struck after just three minutes to extend their aggregate lead to 3-1. Nabil Ghilas’ weighted ball into the Panama area evaded Islam Slimani, but not Nabil Bentaleb, whose calm finish strengthened the Fennecs’ position. Los Canaleros were now in choppy waters, and they almost conceded again on 12 minutes. Riyad Mahrez’s cross from the right flank found Slimani, whose header couldn’t quite find the target. Panama began to battle back in the 16th minute, as Luis Tejada’s effort forced Azzedine Doukha into a save. Algeria’s goalkeeper denied Tejada again in the 22nd minute before pushing behind a 30-yarder from Gabriel Torres in the 27th. Doukha saw off another Panamanian storm on 39 minutes, catching a header from Tejada. Barely a minute later, things went from bad to worse for Panama. Algeria captain Nacereddine Khoualed converted an excellent rebound shot after Bentaleb’s effort had bounced back off Panama winger Valentín Pimentel. With a three-goal lead, the Fennecs were looking really good for Round 7.

 

Despite being well ahead, Algeria weren’t content to sit back for the rest of the match. They attempted to score again on 50 minutes, but Slimani’s first-time shot from Yacine Brahimi’s pass was pushed wide by Luís Mejía. Panama’s goalkeeper made rather lighter work of a header from Faouzi Ghoulam in the 61st minute. The visitors then got increasingly desperate in their attempts to save themselves. Amílcar Henríquez’s audacious shot from the centre circle on 71 minutes was not at all impressive, while Torres fared little better with a header three minutes later. Edwin Aguilar did get Panama off the mark in the 78th minute, when he outpaced defender Mehdi Jean Tahrat and slotted a Torres through-ball into the net, but that only appeared to be a consolation goal. When Slimani retaliated by heading in Algeria’s third goal of the night after 82 minutes, Los Canaleros were left up a creek without a paddle. Their competition would end here, though not before Torres grabbed them one final goal in the final minute.

 

Algeria - 3 (Nabil Bentaleb 3, Nacereddine Khoualed 40, Islam Slimani 82)

Panama - 2 (Edwin Aguilar 78, Gabriel Torres 90)

[Algeria win 5-3 on aggregate]

ALGERIA LINE-UP: Azzedine Doukha; Aïssa Mandi, Nacereddine Khoualed ©, Liassine Cadamuro (Mehdi Jean Tahrat 58), Faouzi Ghoulam; Riyad Mahrez, Saphir Taïder (Walid Mesloub 64), Nabil Bentaleb, Yacine Brahimi; Nabil Ghilas (Yannis Tafer 64), Islam Slimani.

PANAMA LINE-UP: Luis Mejía; Eybir Bonaga, Román Torres ©, Felipe Baloy (Harold Cummings 61), Eric Davis; Armando Cooper, Gabriel Gómez, Aníbal Godoy (Amílcar Henríquez 56), Valentín Pimentel; Luis Tejada (Edwin Aguilar 45), Gabriel Torres. BOOKED: Gómez 85.

REFEREE: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Nabil Bentaleb (Algeria).

 

Colombia vs South Korea - at Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla

Son Heung-Min twice came close to drawing South Korea level on aggregate early in the second leg. Firstly, he narrowly cleared the crossbar with a header from Korean captain Lee Chung-Yong’s cross after two minutes. Six minutes later, Son latched onto an excellent cut-back from Suk Hyun-Jun and was only kept off the scoresheet by a superb fingertip save from Colombia’s David Ospina. The Arsenal goalkeeper would keep Los Cafeteros ahead in the 11th minute, when he held onto a low strike from Suk. After that early surge from the Taegeuk Warriors, Colombia pressed forward a bit more. Although James Rodríguez’s first couple of attempts were disappointing, his free-kick in the 24th minute did lead to a chance that Jeison Murillo headed into the hands of Kwoun Sun-Tae. South Korea’s goalkeeper would have to be on his guard again after 40 minutes. Centre-back Kim Young-Gwon made a weak clearance from Juan Cuadrado’s cross into the Korean area, allowing Andrés Roa to have a pop at goal that Kwoun bravely pushed away. The first half ended with a couple of sitters being missed at both ends. South Korean striker Son and Colombian rival Falcao each felt that they should have given their sides the initiative before half-time.

 

Two full-backs collided in the 54th minute, and Cafeteros left-back Camilo Zúñiga came off worse following a challenge from Lee Yong. Zúñiga picked up a thigh strain, but he was determined to see this game through before he could think about potentially missing the next couple of matches. Colombia had another injury scare when right-back Cuadrado pulled up after shooting past Park Joo-Hoo in the 62nd minute. Los Cafeteros didn’t want to take any undue risks with one of their star performers, so Cuadrado was substituted straight away. It later emerged that Cuadrado had pulled his hamstring, putting his future in the World Championship in serious doubt. Colombia’s status in the competition was also in question, but Ospina’s save in the 63rd minute prevented South Korea substitute Ji Dong-Won from drawing the Taegeuk Warriors level. On 76 minutes, Ji picked up a shin injury in a firm challenge from Murillo. The Augsburg striker carried on playing, but the injury clearly hampered him when he sent a shot wide two minutes later. Another three minutes passed, and then Colombia finally struck gold to secure their place in the next round. Daniel Bocanegra’s cross was nodded home by Jackson Martínez, whose late winner snuffed out the hopes of South Korea - the last surviving nation from continental Asia.

 

Colombia - 1 (Jackson Martínez 81)

South Korea - 0

[Colombia win 2-0 on aggregate]

COLOMBIA LINE-UP: David Ospina; Juan Cuadrado (Daniel Bocanegra 62), Cristián Zapata, Jeison Murillo, Camilo Zúñiga; Carlos Carbonaro, Jefferson Lerma, Andrés Roa (Sebastián Pérez 62); James Rodríguez ©; Falcao (Carlos Bacca 68), Jackson Martínez. BOOKED: Zúñiga 45.

SOUTH KOREA LINE-UP: Kwoun Sun-Tae; Lee Yong, Hong Jeong-Ho, Kim Young-Gwon, Park Joo-Hoo; Ki Sung-Yeung, Kim Ki-Hee; Lee Chung-Yong © (Lee Hyun-Sung), Koo Ja-Cheol (Ryu Seung-Woo 57), Son Heung-Min; Suk Hyun-Jun (Ji Dong-Won 62). BOOKED: Lee Y 73.

REFEREE: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Juan Cuadrado (Colombia).

[CFuller]

Round 6, Leg 2 Results

11 June 2016

Italy vs Turkey - at Olimpico, Rome

Just four days after the horrific terrorist attacks that followed their 2-0 first-leg defeat in Istanbul, Turkey made an emotional return to action in Rome. They were under the cosh early on, as they had to defend against a couple of Italian corners within the first five minutes. They won one of their own after eight minutes, when Gökhan Töre’s shot clattered off Azzurri defender Leonardo Bonucci and went behind. None of those corners resulted in any scoring chances, though the deadlock would be broken after 19 minutes. An excellent move from Italy ended with Giorgio Chiellini’s delivery from the left wing being headed home by Manolo Gabbiadini. Turkey were now 3-1 behind on aggregate, and the onus was now on them to get back in the tie. In the 26th minute, space opened up for Töre after he received a square ball from Hakan Çalhanoglu. The Manchester City midfielder’s run towards the penalty area was hampered when he had to get round Claudio Marchisio. He'd lost his momentum by the time he pulled the trigger, and the ball could only find the side netting. The remainder of the first half would be very disappointing from a Turkish perspective. Striker Burak Yılmaz was caught offside on a couple of occasions as Italy’s traditionally strong defence started to come good again.

 

No player in the World Championship finals could claim to have more experience than Italy captain Gianluigi Buffon. The 38-year-old goalkeeper used all his know-how to push away an excellent strike from Töre in the 52nd minute. After a few more offside decisions went against Yılmaz, Turkey’s Crescent-Stars faced the prospect of falling even further behind. Italy midfielder Alessandro Florenzi’s shot in the 61st minute took a big deflection off Turkey’s Levin Öztunali and was heading goalward until Onur Kıvrak got down to make a vital catch. Chiellini then missed the target a couple of minutes later as a short attacking spell from Italy came to an end. The Azzurri would have another surge from the 73rd minute, when Antonio Candreva sent a free-kick just over. Three minutes later, Candreva curled another free-kick towards his fellow substitute Franco Vázquez, who headed it far too high. Sebastian Giovinco and Daniele De Rossi also failed to build on Italy’s lead before Vázquez went very close to doing just that on 87 minutes. It wouldn’t really have mattered if the Azzurri had scored again, though. Two Gabbiadini goals in either leg had helped them get past a strong Turkish side and into Round 7.

 

Italy - 1 (Manolo Gabbiadini 19)

Turkey - 0

[italy win 3-1 on aggregate]

ITALY LINE-UP: Gianluigi Buffon ©; Daniele De Rossi, Leonardo Bonucci, Alessio Romagnoli; Matteo Darmian, Claudio Marchisio (Jorginho 63), Giorgio Chiellini; Marco Verratti, Alessandro Florenzi (Antonio Candreva 63); Sebastian Giovinco, Manolo Gabbiadini (Franco Vázquez 63).

TURKEY LINE-UP: Onur Kıvrak; Kaan Ayhan, Ömer Toprak, Mehmet Topal, Caner Erkin (Atila Turan 71); Gökhan Töre, Levin Öztunali (Oğuzhan Özyakup 66), Nuri Sahin (Selçuk İnan 56), Arda Turan ©; Hakan Çalhanoglu, Burak Yılmaz. BOOKED: Topal 73.

REFEREE: Enrique Osses (Chile).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Giorgio Chiellini (Italy).

 

Croatia vs Republic of Ireland - at Maksimir, Zagreb

The Republic of Ireland attacked first in the second leg, but Croatia goalkeeper Danijel Subasic made simple work of Shane Long’s header on four minutes. The resulting Croatian counter-attack led to a chance for Ivo Ilicevic, whose strike was caught by Irish custodian Darren Randolph. Ilicevic’s next effort, in the 8th minute, was deflected behind off defender Alex Pearce, whose intervention arguably prevented the shot from finding the net. Ilicevic would be thwarted by some more brave Irish defending in the 14th minute, as Seamus Coleman made a vital challenge after the Hamburg winger had received an excellent ball from Croatia captain Ivan Rakitic. A couple of minutes later, though, the Republic of Ireland were forced to take off one of their form players. Winger Robbie Brady sprained his ankle in a firm but fair tackle from Ivan Perisic and had to be replaced with Alan Judge. Croatia continued to come on strong midway through the first half. Mario Mandzukic’s header in the 25th minute was blocked by Randolph, who would keep out another effort from the Juventus target man nine minutes later. Mandzukic’s next couple of attempts drifted off target before Ireland finished the half strongly. Judge’s low drive on 44 minutes was awkwardly parried by Subasic, whose save kept the tie on a knife-edge with just 45 minutes left to play.

 

Croatia could afford a goalless draw, but the Republic of Ireland couldn’t, so it was not surprising that they created the best scoring chance early in the second half. Judge floated a fine cross into Croatia’s area, but Long couldn’t meet it with a clean connection, and his header bounced wide. Ireland coach Martin O’Neill later shook up his team by bringing on Chelsea forward Patrick Bamford for Aiden McGeady, who had struggled to make an impression. Bamford had a great chance to score from a counter-attack in the 62nd minute, but Vatreni right-back Sime Vrsaljko blocked his path and forced him to shoot high and wide from distance. Vrsaljko would make a vital contribution at the other end eight minutes later. Vrsaljko tried to find Croatian substitute Andrej Kramaric at the back post, but Coleman blocked the delivery... and accidentally diverted it into the net! An agonising own goal from Coleman had put the Boys in Green in serious trouble. After taking the lead in fortunate circumstances, Croatia continued to put pressure on the visitors, mainly to stop them from building any attacking momentum of their own. Mandzukic nearly rubber-stamped victory for the Vatreni in the 84th minute, when his header from Luka Modric’s corner rattled the post. Despite that, they had still done enough to reach the next round and leave Irish eyes crying.

 

Croatia - 1 (Seamus Coleman og70)

Republic of Ireland - 0

[Croatia win 2-1 on aggregate]

CROATIA LINE-UP: Danijel Subasic; Sime Vrsaljko, Vedran Corluka, Dejan Lovren, Ivan Strinic (Antonio Milic 67); Mateo Kovacic (Marcelo Brozovic 67), Luka Modric; Ivan Perisic, Ivan Rakitic ©, Ivo Ilicevic (Andrej Kramaric 56); Mario Mandzukic. BOOKED: Vrsaljko 10, Kovacic 53.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND LINE-UP: Darren Randolph; Seamus Coleman, Shane Duffy, Alex Pearce ©, Marc Wilson; James McCarthy, Darron Gibson; Jeff Hendrick; Aiden McGeady (Patrick Bamford 56), Robbie Brady (Alan Judge 18); Shane Long (Anthony Pilkington 61). BOOKED: Coleman 51, Duffy 84.

REFEREE: Ben Williams (Australia).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Sime Vrsaljko (Croatia).

 

Ghana vs Equatorial Guinea - at Baba Yara Sports Stadium, Kumasi

Equatorial Guinea were determined to battle back from behind against Ghana and keep their World Championship dream going, if only for another couple of matches. Iván Bolado should’ve cancelled out the Black Stars’ only goal of the first leg after five minutes, but he pulled his shot inches wide. Randy also wasted an opportunity for Equatorial Guinea on 10 minutes, blasting a half-volley off target. Those misses would be very costly for the underdogs. Ghana first tested the visitors’ goalkeeper Felipe Ovono on 12 minutes, when he had to flick away a right-wing cross from Harrison Afful. Six minutes later, Ovono was beaten by a clinical low strike from Bernard Mensah, who had played an excellent one-two with his Ghanaian midfield colleague Isaac Cofie. Equatorial Guinea’s star man Pedro Obiang hampered his team further after 24 minutes, when he felled Albert Adomah from behind and conceded a penalty. André Ayew drove in said penalty to put the Black Stars 3-0 up on aggregate. His younger brother Jordan Ayew almost joined him on the scoresheet after 26 minutes. Equatorial Guinea defender Rui’s weak clearance from a Baba Rahman diverted the ball on to Jordan, who fizzed a shot just past the post. The latter stages of the first half saw further misses from both Ayew brothers, as well as a couple of Equatoguinean yellow cards. This was surely the beginning of the end for Nzalang Nacional.

 

One could tell that it was perhaps not going to be Equatorial Guinea’s night in the 50th minute, when Omar Mascarell’s impressive strike was deflected clear by an even better save from Ghana goalkeeper Razak. Mascarell had another pop at goal on 59 minutes, although he couldn’t get that shot beyond defender Jonathan Mensah. Ghana then went close to going 4-0 up after 72 minutes, with Jordan Ayew half-volleying Rahman’s cross just off target. With the Black Stars now coasting towards the next round, Equatorial Guinea became even more flustered. Mascarell lined up three final attempts at goal in the last quarter-hour, though only one - in the 82nd minute - prompted Razak into any sort of save. Nzalang Nacional’s spark had gone, and Ghana moved serenely into Round 7.

 

Ghana - 2 (Bernard Mensah 18, André Ayew pen25)

Equatorial Guinea - 0

[Ghana win 3-0 on aggregate]

GHANA LINE-UP: Razak; Harrison Afful (Isaac Donkor 63), John Boye, Jonathan Mensah, Baba Rahman ©; Alfred Duncan; Bernard Mensah, Isaac Cofie (Emmanuel Badu 63); Albert Adomah (Majeed Waris 68), André Ayew; Jordan Ayew. BOOKED: A Ayew 61, Badu 90.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA LINE-UP: Felipe Ovono; Carlos Akapo, Rui, Jimmy Bermúdez, Lato Aka Ekanza; Pedro Obiang, Omar Mascarell; Emilio Nsué (Igor Engonga 45), Viera Doualla ©, Randy (Judson 56); Iván Bolado (Ibán Salvador 63). BOOKED: Obiang 24, Akapo 42, Mascarell 42, Doualla 55, Aka Ekanza 72.

REFEREE: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Albert Adomah (Ghana).

 

Argentina vs Australia - at Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires

Argentina attempted to kill off Australia as quickly as possible following a comfortable 3-0 win in the first leg. Roberto Pereyra sent a shot wide in the first minute before having a couple of half-volleys blocked by Aussie captain Mile Jedinak in the 12th. Nicolás Gaitán was next to threaten the Socceroos in the 17th minute. After rocketing past right-back Joshua Risdon, the Benfica winger attempted to drive in a shot from a tight angle, only for goalkeeper Mathew Ryan to push it behind. On 24 minutes, Gaitán found Pereyra in a great position, but both Argentines were left frustrated after the latter’s shot was turned away by Ryan. Australia fans were applauding their goalkeeper once again after 35 minutes, when he caught a strike from Sergio Agüero. To their credit, the Aussies - and Ryan in particular - were standing up to Argentina and refusing to roll over. At the same time, though, La Albiceleste could perhaps be accused of complacency. They could afford to show that from such a strong position, but that would surely not be tolerated in later rounds, when the going was bound to get tougher.

 

Argentina’s main objective in the second half was simply to get a home win that would send them into Round 7 high on confidence. Mind you, even getting one goal against Ryan - a goalkeeper who was thriving when he had nothing to lose - would be a difficult task. The Valencia man parried a close-range strike from Gaitán in the 53rd minute, and then another effort from Agüero in the 58th minute to keep La Albiceleste at bay. While Ryan was working overtime, Argentina’s goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero was left with very little to do. The only save Barovero would have to make in the second leg was a straightforward one from Rhys Williams after 74 minutes. As the Socceroos’ attack whimpered out of the competition, their defence continued to go down fighting. Ángel Di María in the 75th minute and Augusto Fernández in the 82nd were next to try and fail to beat a superb Ryan. Australia’s goalie was on course for a very creditable - and deserved - clean sheet away from home. That was until Jedinak shoved Di María in the Aussie area after 85 minutes. Agüero lined up the ball on the penalty spot before attempting to finally get the better of Ryan. This time, the Manchester City hotshot would not be denied. Argentina had rounded off the tie with a narrow home win and were safely into Round 7. However, La Albiceleste would have to play the first leg of their next tie without Agüero, who’d stubbed his toe late in the first half and appeared to have aggravated that injury whilst taking the winning penalty.

 

Argentina - 1 (Sergio Agüero pen85)

Australia - 0

[Argentina win 4-0 on aggregate]

ARGENTINA LINE-UP: Marcelo Barovero; Pablo Zabaleta, Ezequiel Garay, Nicolás Otamendi, Nicolás Tagliafico; Javier Mascherano (Augusto Fernández 67); Roberto Pereyra (Enzo Pérez 73), Ángel Di María; Lionel Messi © (Gonzalo Higuaín 67), Nicolás Gaitán; Sergio Agüero. BOOKED: Mascherano 32.

AUSTRALIA LINE-UP: Mathew Ryan; Joshua Risdon, Mark Milligan, Jason Davidson, Brad Smith (Aziz Behich 67); Mile Jedinak ©; Aaron Mooy (Matt McKay 61), Rhys Williams; Robbie Kruse, Ryan Williams (Christopher Oikonomidis 56); Mathew Leckie. BOOKED: Risdon 38, McKay 72, Kruse 90.

REFEREE: Matthew Conger (New Zealand).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Ángel Di María (Argentina).

[CFuller]

The Russian Bear

As the World Championship finals stage got underway, the search for one of Europe's most-wanted suspected football match-fixers came to a conclusion.

 

Ruslan Sayfutdinov - suspected to be the co-ordinator of a major match-fixing syndicate in Russia - had been located in the Finnish capital of Helsinki. He was detained by the local police service on the afternoon of 5 June and was later questioned by officers from Europol - the European Union's law enforcement agency.

 

Sayfutdinov was 46 years old and originally from the Russian republic of Tatarstan. He stood at 6ft 6in tall, weighed in at just over 22st, and was very strongly-built. He could easy have passed for a former strongman, which - funnily enough - he was in a previous career.

 

Sayfutdinov competed in various strength athletics events, mainly in Europe, from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. He was not terribly successful - mind you, nobody ever expected him to be the next Magnús Ver Magnússon - and from the late 1990s, he took anabolic steroids to boost his physique.

 

Although strongman was his profession, football was Sayfutdinov's greatest passion. He absolutely loved watching the sport, and was a massive fan of his hometown club Rubin Kazan. As his strongman performances improved, he started betting on Russian top-flight matches in order to fund his doping programme.

 

Of course, Sayfutdinov could not get away with this doping ruse forever. He was first exposed as a drugs cheat after testing positive at a minor Russian event in 1998 and was banned for two years. He later returned to the sport, but tested positive again in 2001, while making his one and only appearance at the prestigious World's Strongest Man event in Zambia. Following his second failed test, the International Federation of Strength Athletes banned Sayfutdinov from strongman competitions for life.

 

After his sporting career was brought to a sudden halt, Sayfutdinov spent the best part of the next decade working menial jobs. In the meantime, he increased his gambling portfolio - betting on football matches played outside Russia and taking up online poker - to subsidise his income.

 

It wasn't until he made significant winnings from betting on a Greek Super League match in 2011 that he came upon an idea to set himself up financially for the rest of his life.

 

Sayfutdinov had been inspired by the 'Asiagate' scandal, in which Zimbabwe's national team suffered a number of suspicious defeats during various tours of Asia in 2007 and 2009. The conspiracy was allegedly established by Wilson Raj Perumal - a Singaporean man who had been involved in football corruption for at least 15 years. He was arrested in Finland in 2011 and subsequently sentenced to two years in prison.

 

Together with his younger brothers Renat and Rafael, Ruslan started up a match-fixing syndicate in Kazan later in 2011. With financial backing from some of Tatarstan's most successful organised criminals, they would offer players from low-profile top-flight leagues in Europe "significant incentives" - bribes, if you will - to throw away matches. Leagues in eastern European countries such as Hungary, Romania and Turkey were particularly strong targets.

 

Meanwhile, the Sayfutdinovs would place bets via the internet with Asian bookmakers on the outcomes of those games. Although these sorts of bets were illegal under European law, the Asian gambling market was largely unregulated.

 

The syndicate paid out €2.5million in bribes as part of the scam, which would ultimately produce profits of at least €7.5million, or around 500 million Roubles. This profit would have been shared between the three brothers, but Renat died of lung cancer in 2014, and Rafael abruptly pulled out of the consortium later that year, leaving Ruslan on his own.

 

With new partners and backers, Sayfutdinov continued to run the syndicate, and started targetting international matches in search of even bigger profits.

 

However, the syndicate would soon be brought down - by Sayfutdinov's surviving brother, Rafael.

 

Approaching his 40th birthday, and about to become a father for the first time, Rafael Sayfutdinov had felt a large sense of guilt over his criminal past. In May 2016, Rafael - now living in Poland and working for a cybersecurity firm - contacted Europol and the Russian government, informing them about the existence of the Sayfutdinov syndicate.

 

A European arrest warrant was subsequently issued for Ruslan Sayfutdinov, and a continental search began. Police services in all member states of the European Union were alerted about the man some media outlets had nicknamed 'The Russian Bear'.

 

The hunt for this 'Russian Bear' ended on 5 June. A retail clerk at a service station in the Munkkiniemi district of Helsinki had recognised Sayfutdinov when he was filling his car at around 8:30pm local time. The clerk contacted the Helsinki police department, and Sayfutdinov was detained a few hours later.

 

News of Sayfutdinov's arrest raised red flags for Interpol, who were conducting an international investigation into the April murder of Marco Sepe in Zurich. They had found a possible link between Sepe, who allegedly tried to bribe South African players and staff in Moscow before a World Championship match against Russia, and a mystery man with Sayfutdinov's likeness.

 

At just after 10:15pm Moscow time on 28 March, CCTV footage showed Sepe leaving South Africa's hotel. Standing near the entrance was a man who looked like Sayfutdinov smoking a cigarette. About a minute after Sepe left the hotel and headed for the car park, Sayfutdinov went - seemingly - the same way.

 

The man outside the Moscow hotel, and the man who was reportedly seen around Sepe's home a month later, when the Swiss salesman was murdered, had very similar descriptions. They were both tall, burly figures of middle age sporting thin hair and goatees.

 

On 7 June, two days after Sayfutdinov was detained in Helsinki, Interpol officers arrived in the Finnish capital to interrogate him about Sepe's murder. Sayfutdinov had since shaved off his hair and goatee, but his facial features and build still fitted the description of the number one suspect.

 

At first, Sayfutdinov refused to cooperate with Interpol. After initially refusing to even comment on these new accusations, he then began to strongly deny that he was involved.

 

Sayfutdinov claimed never to have had any contact whatsoever with Sepe. He even denied travelling to Switzerland at any point in his adult life, let alone in late April, when Sepe was killed. Sayfutdinov said that he was at home with his wife and daughter when the murder took place.

 

Whether Sayfutdinov was indeed telling the truth, or merely covering up his tracks, was something Interpol would have to work out for themselves.

[CFuller]

Round 7 Preview

A total of 216 nations had entered the 2016 FIFA World Championship. 200 had now fallen by the wayside, leaving just sixteen teams, all of whom felt that they could realistically go all the way and win the title.

 

The quirks of the draw and a few surprise results in Round 6 meant that there were no fewer than six all-European ties in Round 7. The two odd ties out would see an African team take on a South American side, but otherwise, UEFA's representation was surprisingly strong.

 

In fact, the entire top half was now Europeans only, meaning that UEFA was guaranteed to have one of its teams in the Final. The question now was… which one?

 

Second seeds Germany were the favourites to overcome their continental rivals and make it to the showpiece event on 3 July. Joachim Löw's side hadn't yet hit top gear, having 'only' scored three goals against Japan in Round 5 before edging past Serbia in their first tie of the finals phase.

 

Germany now found themselves up against Greece. This Greek squad was nowhere near as solid as the team that had been crowned European champions in 2004 under legendary German coach Otto Rehhagel, and many felt that the Mannschaft would be far too strong for them.

 

If Germany did prevail, the chances were that they would face France for the right to compete in Saint-Denis in the final week. Les Bleus had lost their reputation for self-destruction under Didier Deschamps, whose brand of exciting attacking football had encouraged French football fans to start loving their national team again.

 

France couldn't afford to get cocky, mind, as their Round 7 opponents - Austria - were viewed by more than a few people as dark horses. A Quarter Final battle between Germany and Austria would be every bit as tasty as one between the Germans and the French.

 

Also in the top half were Portugal, spearheaded by Cristiano Ronaldo. The Real Madrid megastar was at the heart of a fearsome frontline that also included another experienced campaigner in Nani, as well as young guns Bernardo Silva and Ivan Cavaleiro.

 

Mind you, Ronaldo and co would have to be at their very best if A Selecção were to unlock Switzerland's rock-solid defence. This was likely to be an intriguing battle between the unstoppable force and the immovable object.

 

The winner of that tie would meet either Ukraine or the Czech Republic in the last eight. Ukraine's best major tournament had come a decade earlier at the World Cup.

 

Meanwhile, the Czechs were hoping to move a step closer to emulating their class of 1996, who'd lost the European Championship Final to a German golden goal, or even the 1976 Czechoslovakia team that won the Euros on penalties. Would the number 6 prove lucky for them again?

 

The third and fourth quarters of the draw each consisted of an all-European tie and a CAF vs CONMEBOL duel.

 

Heading quarter three were the fourth seeds - Colombia. Thus far, they had shown indications that their run to the 2014 World Cup Quarter Final was not a false dawn, but rather the start of a potentially golden era.

 

James Rodríguez and his colleagues would continue their quest for glory against the North African foxes of Algeria. Was this to be the end of the road for the Fennecs, or would Los Cafeteros' dreams be vulpeculated?

 

Awaiting Colombia or Algeria in the Quarter Finals would be one of European football's biggest sleeping giants. Neither England nor Russia had reached a major Final, let alone won anything, since the 1960s, so it was surely time for one of those giants to awake from their slumber.

 

Tensions were likely to be extremely high between those two nations. Four months earlier, fans of West Ham United and CSKA Moscow had been involved in violent clashes before their sides met in the UEFA Europa League, leading to hundreds of arrests in Moscow. Security would be massively ramped up in the Russian capital before the first leg.

 

The authorities would also be on high alert when Croatia and Italy met in a battle between the 8th and 9th seeds. There were particularly strong concerns that Croatian spectators would try to disrupt both legs in protest against the HNS - their national football association - which many fans, particularly from the south of the country, saw as corrupt. The HNS had already been fined several times over the past decade because of their supporters' conduct, and another major incident would surely see FIFA come down on them like a ton of bricks.

 

Italian fans were unlikely to be on their very best behaviour either, particularly not against a neighbouring country. With a strong and experienced team that included the likes of goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and midfielder Claudio Marchisio, the Azzurri would look to make sure that people were talking about them, and not the spectators.

 

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi would simply let his football do the talking when Argentina arrived in West Africa for the first leg of their Round 7 tie. They had breezed through their first two ties with the minimum of fuss, and it was very unlikely that Ghana would give them much stress in the third.

 

If the Black Stars could silence the top seeds over two home-and-away legs, it would surely be an even greater shock than when La Albiceleste were tripped up - in more than one sense - by Cameroon in the 1990 World Cup opener.

 

Those were the sweet sixteen teams still in World Championship contention... but things would soon get very sour for half of them.

 

ROUND 7, LEG 1: 12 June 2016

Switzerland                          vs      Portugal                            
Ukraine                              vs      Czech Republic                      

ROUND 7, LEG 1: 13 June 2016

France                               vs      Austria                             
Greece                               vs      Germany                              

ROUND 7, LEG 1: 14 June 2016

Algeria                              vs      Colombia                            
Russia                               vs      England                             

ROUND 7, LEG 1: 15 June 2016

Ghana                                vs      Argentina                           
Italy                                vs      Croatia                             

ROUND 7, LEG 2: 16 June 2016

Czech Republic                       vs      Ukraine                              
Portugal                             vs      Switzerland                         

ROUND 7, LEG 2: 17 June 2016

Austria                              vs      France                              
Germany                              vs      Greece                              

ROUND 7, LEG 2: 18 June 2016

Colombia                             vs      Algeria                             
England                              vs      Russia                              

ROUND 7, LEG 2: 19 June 2016

Argentina                            vs      Ghana                               
Croatia                              vs      Italy                               

[CFuller]

Round 7, Leg 1 Results

12 June 2016

Switzerland vs Portugal - at Stade de Suisse Wankdorf, Bern

Both teams threatened to break the deadlock in a frantic start to this match. Portugal left-back Fábio Coentrão drove forward an excellent half-volley from João Moutinho's corner in the second minute, only to be denied by a superb diving save from Yann Sommer. Then came a blistering Switzerland counter-attack, which saw Haris Seferovic hit the post from distance before Portugal keeper Rui Patrício retrieved the ball. A Selecção would come under further strain after nine minutes. Xherdan Shaqiri found Seferovic just onside, and as the Portuguese defence dithered, Rui Patrício desperately pushed the Swiss striker's shot behind. After that bright spell from Switzerland, Portugal showed their attacking potential. Midfielder João Moutinho passed to Cristiano Ronaldo in the penalty area on 22 minutes, and Ronaldo pulled a shot agonisingly against the post. The Real Madrid ace got another opportunity in the 32nd minute, when he intercepted Ricardo Rodríguez's throw-in and unleashed a blistering shot that Sommer had to palm out for a corner. Ronaldo was showing his true quality, and he got the goal his performance deserved when he prodded in Ivan Cavaleiro's cut-back two minutes later. Switzerland were trailing for the first time in this competition, but they finished the first half strongly and looked like they could quickly restore parity. Midfielder Granit Xhaka had a couple of decent chances, one of which was saved by Rui Patrício in the 38th minute.

 

Ronaldo went close to doubling his and A Selecção's tally on 46 minutes, when he flicked Coentrão's corner inches over the bar. Seferovic then had a couple of opportunities to equalise for Switzerland within the next two minutes. The first was easily caught by Rui Patrício, and the second went rather further from the target. Seferovic would later make way for rising star Breel Embolo, but it was Portugal who looked brighter midway through the second period. Nani cut inside from the right flank in the 63rd minute and was about to shoot when Swiss defender Timm Klose came in with a fantastic tackle. The ball was deflected back to Portuguese midfielder André Gomes, whose strike was blocked by Fabian Frei. Cavaleiro fired a hopeful shot over in the 66th minute, while another last-ditch tackle from Klose saved the hosts when Ronaldo bore down on goal four minutes later. The game continued at a frenetic pace, even in the closing stages, as Rui Patrício pulled off another sublime save when Embolo got to Stephan Lichtsteiner's cross in the 76th minute. Embolo then cleared the bar for Switzerland with a disappointing header after 88 minutes as the first leg ended with Portugal 1-0 ahead. That said, it was far too early to write off Switzerland just yet.

 

Switzerland - 0

Portugal - 1 (Cristiano Ronaldo 34)

SWITZERLAND LINE-UP: Yann Sommer; Stephan Lichtsteiner, Fabian Schär, Johan Djourou © (Timm Klose 62), Ricardo Rodríguez; Fabian Frei, Granit Xhaka, Pajtim Kasami (Luca Zuffi 45); Xherdan Shaqiri, Tranquillo Barnetta; Haris Seferovic (Breel Embolo 57). BOOKED: Zuffi 56.

PORTUGAL LINE-UP: Rui Patrício; João Cancelo, Daniel Carriço, Paulo Oliveira, Fábio Coentrão; Danilo Pereira (William Carvalho 67); João Moutinho, Adrien (André Gomes 62); Nani, Ivan Cavaleiro (Vierinha 67); Cristiano Ronaldo ©. BOOKED: Carriço 65.

REFEREE: Paolo Tagliavento (Italy).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Nani (Portugal).

 

Ukraine vs Czech Republic - at NSC Olympiyskyi, Kiev

Ukraine coach Mykhaylo Fomenko made a big change on the eve of this match, dropping his first-choice keeper Denys Boyko in favour of Andriy Pyatov. Pyatov quickly proved his worth in the second minute, saving a close-range effort from Czech Republic winger Ladislav Krejci. His opposite number Petr Cech also made a big save early on to prevent Eugene Konoplyanka from putting the Yellow-Blue ahead. Although Konoplyanka would be the main attacking threat to the Czechs, Ukraine were without their other talisman Andriy Yarmolenko through suspension. His absence would be keenly felt as the hosts failed to take their early chances, and then fell behind after 27 minutes. Vladimir Darida's cross was nodded home by Matej Vydra, whose fourth goal of the finals stage put the Czech Republic ahead. Vydra could've scored again after getting past Ukrainian defender Yaroslav Rakitskyi in the 33rd minute, but he snatched at his shot and sent it horribly wide. Three minutes later, Czech wideman Borek Dockal ran into a strong challenge from home midfielder Sergiy Rybalka. Dockal hurt his ribs in the collision and had to be substituted, while Rybalka went on to test Cech with a half-volley in the 41st minute. Dockal's injury didn't disrupt the visitors' rhythm too much, as Darida had a shot saved by Pyatov in the 44th minute.

 

Cech saved another effort from Rybalka after 47 minutes as Ukraine went back on the offensive. Eugene Seleznyov and Eugene Khacheridi each sent headers wide for the Yellow-Blue in the 50th and 54th minutes. Things then almost went disastrously wrong for Ukraine in the 56th minute. Pyatov took a free-kick well outside his penalty area, but his pass drifted beyond its intended target Khacheridi and found Vydra! The Watford striker steadied himself and then unleashed a shot from the halfway line... but the ball drifted well wide of the unguarded net. Pyatov breathed a sigh of relief, and his rival Cech did the same on 66 minutes after catching Khacheridi's header. Cech then pushed away a fierce low effort from Roman Zozulya in the 77th minute before turning behind an angled shot from Artem Fedetskyi in the 82nd minute. David Pavelka missed a couple of Czech chances in between those Cech saves before the visitors settled for a 1-0 win.

 

Ukraine - 0

Czech Republic - 1 (Matej Vydra 27)

UKRAINE LINE-UP: Andriy Pyatov; Artem Fedetskyi, Eugene Khacheridi, Yaroslav Rakitskyi, Eugene Makarenko; Ruslan Rotan © (Sergiy Sydorchuk 56), Sergiy Rybalka; Roman Zozula, Victor Kovalenko, Eugene Konoplyanka (Vitaliy Buyalskyi 62); Eugene Seleznyov (Taison 56). BOOKED: Fedetskyi 29, Rakitskyi 50, Rybalka 88, Makarenko 90, Sydorchuk 90.

CZECH REPUBLIC LINE-UP: Petr Cech ©; Frantisek Rajtoral, Marek Suchy, Jakub Brabec, David Limbersky; Tomas Horava (David Pavelka 56), Vladimir Darida; Borek Dockal (Vaclav Pilar 38), Daniel Kolar, Ladislav Krejci; Matej Vydra (Milan Skoda 67). BOOKED: Rajtoral 28.

REFEREE: Mark Clattenburg (England).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Vladimir Darida (Czech Republic).

[CFuller]

Round 7, Leg 1 Results

13 June 2016

France vs Austria - at Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Nabil Fékir almost headed France into the lead after just seven minutes, but his attempt from Gaël Clichy's cross went inches off target. Clichy also came close to scoring in the 13th minute, when his half-volley was pushed away by Austria goalkeeper Cican Stankovic. Shortly before then, Austrian wing-back David Alaba had picked up the first of what would be many cards in a fiercely-fought match. Clichy was the first French player to have his name taken by referee Gianluca Rocchi after he brought down Marko Arnautovic on 15 minutes. As tempers steadily rose midway through the first half, Antoine Griezmann drove a couple of French shots wide. Austria striker Martin Harnik nearly silenced the home fans in the 28th minute, when he played a one-two with Marcel Sabitzer and drove a shot inches wide. That was followed by a trio of Austrian bookings, which took the Burschen's tally up to five already. France's players looked rather more composed, and they could have gone ahead before half-time. Alexandre Lacazette should have done much better with a header from a 39th-minute free-kick delivered by Griezmann, whose attempt at goal three minutes later was closed down by Austria right-back Florian Klein.

 

One of the Austrian players already carrying a yellow card overstepped the mark less than 45 seconds into the second half. Midfielder Robert Gucher tripped up his French counterpart Paul Pogba to earn a second booking, which was followed by a red card. Though Austria were down a man, they actually had the first shot of the second half. To be honest, though, Sabitzer never looked like scoring from outside the area in the 51st minute. Six minutes later, Lacazette followed up a promising solo run for Les Bleus with a tame shot that was easily secured by Stankovic. Lacazette would then be replaced with Florian Thauvin, whose first couple of shots flattered to deceive. Tensions had calmed down somewhat following Gucher's sending-off, but the referee's patience would be tested again after the hour mark. Two more Austrian players went into the book, as did Raphaël Varane for France. The one thing this game badly needed was a goal, and the home fans' wishes would come true after 79 minutes. Blaise Matuidi angled a long ball out left to Clichy, whose cross was drilled in at the near post by Sébastien Corchia for the long-awaited opening goal. Matuidi had played a big part in sending Les Bleus ahead, but he would soon transform from hero to villain. Two clumsy tackles on Harnik within the next four minutes saw Matuidi pick up two quick yellow cards before receiving his marching orders. Matuidi's dismissal could've have serious repercussions for France, as goalkeeping captain Hugo Lloris had to prevent Harnik from equalising in the 84th minute, but the hosts did hold on for a narrow win.

 

France - 1 (Sébastien Corchia 79)

Austria - 0

FRANCE LINE-UP: Hugo Lloris ©; Bacary Sagna, Laurent Koscielny, Raphaël Varane, Gaël Clichy; Blaise Matuidi, Paul Pogba; Alexandre Lacazette (Florian Thauvin 57), Nabil Fékir (Rémy Cabella 52), Antoine Griezmann (Sébastien Corchia 63); Karim Benzema. BOOKED: Clichy 15, Varane 68, Matuidi 80, Pogba 89. SENT OFF: Matuidi 83.

AUSTRIA LINE-UP: Cican Stankovic; Florian Klein, Martin Hinteregger (Stipe Vucur 46), Aleksandar Dragovic, David Alaba; Robert Gucher, Zlatko Junuzovic; Marko Arnautovic (Raphael Holzhauser 63), Christian Fuchs ©; Marcel Sabitzer (Julian Baumgartlinger 57), Martin Harnik. BOOKED: Alaba 3, Junuzovic 21, Gucher 31, Arnautovic 35, Fuchs 38, Klein 63, Holzhauser 65. SENT OFF: Gucher 46.

REFEREE: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Gaël Clichy (France).

 

Greece vs Germany - at Georgios Karaiskakis, Piraeus

A slow start to this match saw Germany forward Thomas Müller and Greece defender Kostas Manolas miscue headed attempts at goal in the 2nd and 11th minutes respectively. The first shot on target would not come until the 17th minute. Müller played the ball through space to find the run of Mario Götze, whose shot was awkwardly pushed away by Greek goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis. Müller then hit another disappointing effort a minute after that. A lacklustre early performance from the Mannschaft didn't get any better when midfielder Marco Reus hurt his heel in the 24th minute. Reus received some treatment on the sidelines before returning to help Germany push forward again. He set up a fine opportunity for Götze in the 38th minute, but a vital tackle from Greek midfielder Panagiotis Tachtsidis managed to divert the ball wide. Four minutes later, the German machine finally got up and running. Toni Kroos' free-kick into the Greece area found Germany centre-back Holger Badstuber, whose half-volley was parried by Karnezis. Mats Hummels - the visitors' other centre-half - then reacted quickly to fire in the rebound and make it 1-0 to the Mannschaft at half-time.

 

Kroos was unfortunate not to double Germany's lead on 47 minutes, when his shot swerved just over the crossbar. Kostas Mitroglou was similarly unlucky that he didn't pull Greece level two minutes later. A stunning fingertip save from Manuel Neuer was the German goalkeeper's first of this match. His rather busier Greek counterpart Karnezis would be called upon again in the 51st minute. An excellent tackle from Reus on Greece captain Vasilis Torosidis knocked the ball on to Götze, whose 25-yarder was pushed away by Karnezis. Things then calmed down for a while before Neuer caught a header from the hosts' attacking midfielder Kostas Fortounis in the 68th minute. Fortounis drove wide his next effort at goal on 70 minutes, but he would get one last chance to equalise - right at the end of normal time. The game was just entering its 90th minute when Germany's right-winger Karim Bellarabi slide-tackled his opposite number Ioannis Fetfatzidis on the edge of the visitors' penalty area. It wasn't clear whether Fetfatzidis had actually been brought down inside the area, but referee Ravshan Irmatov gave Greece the benefit of the doubt and awarded them a penalty. This was a great opportunity for Fortounis to draw the Galanolefki level, and he did exactly that, blasting an unstoppable shot beyond Neuer for 1-1. The drama didn't end there, though, as the woodwork denied Julian Draxler an injury-time winner for a below-par Germany team.

 

Greece - 1 (Kostas Fortounis pen90)

Germany - 1 (Mats Hummels 42)

GREECE LINE-UP: Orestis Karnezis; Vasilis Torosidis ©, Kostas Manolas, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Kostas Stafylidis; Ioannis Fetfatzidis, Andreas Samaris (Thanos Petsos 45), Panagiotis Tachtsidis (Andreas Bouchalakis 58), José Holebas; Kostas Fortounis; Kostsa Mitroglou (Tasos Bakasetas 65). BOOKED: Manolas 9.

GERMANY LINE-UP: Manuel Neuer; Jérôme Boateng, Mats Hummels, Holger Badstuber, Jonas Hector; Karim Bellarabi, Bastian Schweinsteiger ©, Toni Kroos (Sami Khedira 69), Marco Reus (Julian Draxler 62); Mario Götze (Kevin Volland 69); Thomas Müller. BOOKED: Schweinsteiger 43, Khedira 90.

REFEREE: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Ioannis Fetfatzidis (Greece).

[mark wilson27]

CFuller, all I can about this and all your work is brilliant. The detail and match writing is superb. If you don't get an award for this then it will be a travesty.

[ChileanRanger]

First: Goddamn you to hell(Chile's squad). Panama?!(Very pissed off, but in the end, I'll have to hope for the next opportunity) Thank you, Algeria for eliminating Panama.

Second: Great story, CFuller. Very good.

This detail cracked me up:

Italy vs. Turkey Leg 2

1-0

REFEREE: Enrique Osses (Chile).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Giorgio Chiellini (Italy).

Of course the team in blue wins when Osses is involved.(In the local championship, he tends to favor Universidad de Chile, who play in blue.)

No penalties though? That's strange for him, is he sick?

(The match after a terrorist attack and I laugh at a minor detail. Something is wrong with me.)

And that's all I have to say.

[CFuller]

CFuller, all I can about this and all your work is brilliant. The detail and match writing is superb. If you don't get an award for this then it will be a travesty.

Thanks. Although there aren't as many stories on FMS as there used to be, the quality of the writing is still as high as ever, so there'll definitely be plenty of competition come awards night.

First: Goddamn you to hell(Chile's squad). Panama?!(Very pissed off, but in the end, I'll have to hope for the next opportunity) Thank you, Algeria for eliminating Panama.

Second: Great story, CFuller. Very good.

This detail cracked me up:

Italy vs. Turkey Leg 2

1-0

REFEREE: Enrique Osses (Chile).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Giorgio Chiellini (Italy).

Of course the team in blue wins when Osses is involved.(In the local championship, he tends to favor Universidad de Chile, who play in blue.)

No penalties though? That's strange for him, is he sick?

(The match after a terrorist attack and I laugh at a minor detail. Something is wrong with me.)

And that's all I have to say.

Nice to see that you are following along, ChileanRanger, even though Chile somehow choked against Panama. Brazil and Spain going out at the first hurdle may have been surprising, but Chile's exit was genuinely shocking.

My knowledge of Chilean football is rather limited, so it's always interesting to learn a bit more about it. I take it you're not a massive fan of Universidad de Chile, then?

I've had a quick look through the rest of the story, and Osses will referee one more match in this tournament. The result will not surprise you.

[CFuller]

Round 7, Leg 1 Results

14 June 2016

Russia vs England - at Luzhniki, Moscow

Russia could have made the most of a slow start from England, but Denis Cheryshev's shot in the sixth minute was well caught by visiting goalkeeper Jack Butland. England's game picked up a little in the 10th minute, when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain sent a header inches over the crossbar. Oxlade-Chamberlain would continue to be at the forefront of the Three Lions' attacks. His strike in the 18th minute was superbly blocked by Alexandr Samedov, while another effort six minutes later was scooped over the bar. On 30 minutes, England left-back Luke Shaw's cross found the head of Harry Kane, who couldn't quite beat Igor Akinfeev in the Russian goal. A minute after that, a clever backheel from Kane set up an excellent shot from Oxlade-Chamberlain that did find the net. After a little over half an hour, the Three Lions' supporters were roaring with delight. Kane looked like he was about to score a second England goal in the 35th minute, but Akinfeev came to the Russians' rescue. England midfielder Jordan Henderson picked up a knock a couple of minutes later following a challenge from Oleg Shatov, but the visitors still looked very strong at the break.

 

A sloppy throw from Shaw in the 49th minute opened the door wide open for Russia striker Alexandr Kokorin, who intercepted the ball but couldn't get his shot beyond Butland. Four minutes later, any realistic hopes of a fightback from the hosts went out of the window. Alan Dzagoev charged at Henderson like a madman before flying into the Liverpool midfielder with a crunching tackle. Just eight days after being sent off in the first leg of Russia's Round 6 tie with Uruguay, Dzagoev was dismissed for a second time. Henderson was lucky not to have been seriously hurt in that challenge, after which both teams rang the changes. Russia boss Leonid Slutskiy made all three of his substitutions at once, while England manager Roy Hodgson replaced captain Wayne Rooney with James Milner. Hodgson's change would immediately reap the rewards. Raheem Sterling's delivery into the Russian box was nodded on by Kane to Milner, who drove the Three Lions into a 2-0 lead after 55 minutes. England would be in total control from that point onwards. Only a great fingertip save from Akinfeev prevented Kane from heading in a third goal for the away team on 64 minutes. Henderson also narrowly missed a chance from the resulting corner before being substituted. England would remain on two goals after Theo Walcott's last-minute attempt was saved by Akinfeev, but Russia's inability to dirty Butland's sheet meant that the Three Lions now had a golden opportunity to reach the Quarter Finals.

 

Russia - 0

England - 2 (Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 31, James Milner 55)

RUSSIA LINE-UP: Igor Akinfeev; Sergey Parshivlyuk (Ibragim Tsallagov 53), Vasily Berezutskiy (Vladimir Granat 53), Roman Neustädter, Georgy Schennikov; Igor Denisov ©, Alan Dzagoev; Alexandr Samedov, Oleg Shatov (Sergey Petrov 53), Denis Cheryshev; Alexandr Kokorin. SENT OFF: Dzagoev 53.

ENGLAND LINE-UP: Jack Butland; Eric Dier, John Stones, Chris Smalling, Luke Shaw; Jordan Henderson (Ross Barkley 68), Wayne Rooney © (James Milner 53); Theo Walcott, Raheem Sterling, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain; Harry Kane (Saido Berahino 75).

REFEREE: Matthew Conger (New Zealand).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (England).

 

Algeria vs Colombia - at Stade Olympique du 5 Juillet, Algiers

Colombia's fans had been patiently waiting for James Rodríguez to come alive in this World Championship. The Real Madrid midfielder's big moment almost came in the 11th minute, but Algeria goalkeeper Azzedine Doukha palmed his free-kick off the goal line just in time. Some excellent keeping at the other end five minutes later saw Cafeteros custodian David Ospina thwart Algeria winger Riyad Mahrez. In the 21st minute, a superb long ball from Mahrez sent Nabil Ghilas virtually through on goal. Only a last-ditch challenge from Jefferson Lerma prevented Ghilas from bursting clear altogether. Three minutes after that came another near-miss from Colombia captain Rodríguez, who was wondering what he had to do to break his goalscoring duck. Team-mate Andrés Roa didn't have much luck either in the 36th and 41st minutes, when couple of his efforts were kept out by Doukha. Jackson Martínez looked set to go one-on-one with Doukha when Falcao played him through in the 43rd minute, but an excellent tackle by Liassine Cadamuro kept the Fennecs on level terms.

 

There was even more Colombian misfortune in the 53rd minute. Martínez got a fine header to right-back Daniel Bocanegra's cross and unluckily rattled the crossbar. Martínez would later come off to be replaced with Carlos Bacca, but the AC Milan striker really struggled to make an impact against a strong Algerian team. Everyone in the Fennecs team was doing their defensive duty - even Mahrez, who blocked a powerful strike from Bacca in the 71st minute. The deadlock would at last be broken five minutes later... but not by Los Cafeteros. The breakthrough for Algeria came when Faouzi Ghoulam swung in a deep cross to striker Abdelmoumene Djabou, who beat Colombian centre-backs Cristián Zapata and Jeison Murillo to the ball and drove it home. Colombia were stunned into action by that goal, but they could not put together a strong enough response. Doukha rounded off a solid performance in goal for Algeria by saving a header from Zapata on 81 minutes and an edge-of-the-area strike from Falcao four minutes after that. Mahrez and Ghilas then missed out on chances to double the Fennecs' lead before the first leg concluded with them still 1-0 up. Would that goal be enough for the North Africans, or could Colombia overcome their deficit in the second leg and avoid an upset?

 

Algeria - 1 (Abdelmoumene Djabou 76)

Colombia - 0

ALGERIA LINE-UP: Azzedine Doukha; Aïssa Mandi (Abderrahmane Hachoud 56), Nacereddine Khoualed ©, Liassine Cadamuro (Mehdi Jean Tahrat 56), Faouzi Ghoulam; Riyad Mahrez, Nabil Bentaleb, Saphir Taïder, Yacine Brahimi; Nabil Ghilas, Islam Slimani (Abdelmoumene Djabou 62). BOOKED: Taïder 71.

COLOMBIA LINE-UP: David Ospina; Daniel Bocanegra, Cristián Zapata, Jeison Murillo, Pablo Armero; Andrés Roa (Dorlan Pabón 45), Jefferson Lerma, Carlos Carbonero (Sebastián Pérez 45); James Rodríguez ©; Jackson Martínez (Carlos Bacca 56), Falcao. BOOKED: Bocanegra 45, Ospina 79.

REFEREE: Felix Brych (Germany).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Cristián Zapata (Colombia).

[CFuller]

Round 7, Leg 1 Results

15 June 2016

Italy vs Croatia - at San Siro, Milan

Manolo Gabbiadini's strong start to the finals continued when he scored in his third successive game after six minutes. His close-range finish from Matteo Darmian's delivery into the six-yard box gave Italy a very early advantage over Croatia. Another Italian goal looked on the cards when Giorgio Chiellini crossed the ball into the box after 12 minutes, but Croatian defender Dejan Lovren headed the ball behind to concede a corner. Lovren's clearance from the resulting corner delivery by Marco Verratti only went as far as Alessio Romagnoli, whose shot was pushed behind by Vatreni goalkeeper Danijel Subasic. Three more Azzurri corners followed before Ivan Strinic finally cleared the danger for Croatia on 14 minutes. The rest of the first period was largely scrappy, and that was mainly down to some poor tackling from both sides. Croatia would finish the half having registered just one shot at goal - an Ivo Ilicevic effort that was superbly blocked by Italian striker Sebastian Giovinco. Gabbiadini, meanwhile, missed the target twice just before the break.

 

Croatia steadily upped their game in the second half. The first sign of progress from the Vatreni came when Ivan Perisic's free-kick tested Azzurri goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon on 55 minutes. Five minutes later, a first-time strike from substitute Marcelo Brozovic drifted just off target. Young Nantes midfielder Adrien Thomasson also went fairly close to scoring in the 70th minute, shortly after he came on to replace Ilicevic. Italy were doing well to try and preserve their lead, but the Azzurri's efforts would be in vain. The Vatreni finally opened them up after 78 minutes, when Luka Modric broke free from the Italian defence to head in Mateo Kovacic's free-kick. Croatia were back level at 1-1, and another free-kick three minutes later almost saw them take the lead. Modric was the one taking the set-piece this time, and his delivery was flicked narrowly wide by Lovren. Although they hadn't quite done enough to win the game, a score draw was still a positive result for Croatia, who would head into their home leg four days later as the slightest of favourites.

 

Italy - 1 (Manolo Gabbiadini 6)

Croatia - 1 (Luka Modric 78)

ITALY LINE-UP: Gianluigi Buffon ©; Daniele De Rossi (Daniele Rugani 68), Leonardo Bonucci, Alessio Romagnoli; Matteo Darmian, Claudio Marchisio, Giorgio Chiellini; Marco Verratti, Alessandro Florenzi (Jorginho 68); Sebastian Giovinco (Lorenzo Insigne 68), Manolo Gabbiadini. BOOKED: Darmian 33, Chiellini 37.

CROATIA LINE-UP: Danijel Subasic; Sime Vrsaljko, Domagoj Vida, Dejan Lovren, Ivan Strinic; Mateo Kovacic, Luka Modric; Ivo Ilicevic (Adrien Thomasson 68), Ivan Rakitic © (Marcelo Brozovic 45), Ivan Perisic (Andrej Kramaric 62); Mario Mandzukic. BOOKED: Vrsaljko 45.

REFEREE: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Luka Modric (Croatia).

 

Ghana vs Argentina - at Baba Yara Sports Stadium, Kumasi

Argentina looked shaky from the outset, with Pablo Zabaleta getting booked after just two minutes following a trip on Ghanaian captain André Ayew. A minute later, Argentine goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero had to catch Ghanaian midfielder Bernard Mensah's shot from just outside the area. After their bright start, the Black Stars would soon be on the defensive. Two Ghana players - full-back Harrison Afful and forward André Ayew - went into the book before goalkeeper Razak pushed behind a header from Albiceleste centre-half Ezequiel Garay in the 8th minute. Ghana attacked again over the next three minutes, with Barovero needing to make a couple more saves to keep the scoreline at 0-0. Argentina didn't really look anything like the favourites for this match, let alone the competition, until they had a bright spell midway through the first half. Gonzalo Higuaín's header on 18 minutes drifted wide, though his next effort two minutes later was palmed away by Razak. Ghana defender Jonathan Mensah then threw himself in front of a goalbound shot from Lionel Messi in the 21st minute to divert it behind. The Black Stars' next narrow escape when Razak got across his goal to tip wide a strike from Higuaín on 27 minutes. There would be even more Argentine agony late in the half. Razak kept Nicolás Gaitán off the scoresheet in the penultimate minute of normal time, and then beat away an Augusto Fernández strike in the last minute. La Albiceleste had dictated virtually the whole of the first half, yet they still had a lot of work to do in the second period.

 

Argentina would become even more dominant in the second half. Zabaleta and Messi each missed the target early on before Higuaín's 58th-minute header was caught by Razak. Ángel Di María was also unable to find a way through a rock-solid Ghanaian defence. Poor efforts in the 60th and 75th minutes did nothing to calm the visitors' nerves. It wasn't until Roberto Pereyra performed an excellent slide tackle on Ghana's ball-winning midfielder Emmanuel Badu in the 76th minute that the first chink in the Black Stars' armour emerged. Badu gashed his leg in that challenge from Pereyra and would be badly hampered for the closing stages. Argentina sensed that their opponents were weakening, and Javier Mascherano fired a long-distance shot inches wide of goal in the 83rd minute. Messi then tried a long-ranger of his own right at the start of injury time. His 25-yarder whistled beyond Razak's reach, clipped the underside of the bar, and deflected into the net. The Barcelona ace had scored yet another last-gasp winner to give Argentina a narrow lead heading into the second leg. This defeat was perhaps a bit harsh on Ghana, considering how bravely they'd defended throughout the match, but La Albiceleste weren't complaining.

 

Ghana - 0

Argentina - 1 (Lionel Messi 90)

GHANA LINE-UP: Razak; Harrison Afful (Isaac Donkor 61), John Boye, Jonathan Mensah, Baba Rahman; Alfred Duncan; Bernard Mensah, Isaac Cofie (Emmanuel Badu 51); Albert Adomah (Asamoah Gyan 45), André Ayew ©; Jordan Ayew. BOOKED: Afful 5, A Ayew 8, Cofie 33, Donkor 87.

ARGENTINA LINE-UP: Marcelo Barovero; Pablo Zabaleta, Ezequiel Garay, Nicolás Otamendi, Nicolás Tagliafico (Walter Kannemann 69); Javier Mascherano; Augusto Fernández (Roberto Pereyra 69), Ángel Di María; Lionel Messi, Nicolás Gaitán (Erik Lamela 63); Gonzalo Higuaín. BOOKED: Zabaleta 2.

REFEREE: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Lionel Messi (Argentina).

[CFuller]

Round 7, Leg 2 Results

16 June 2016

Portugal vs Switzerland - at Estádio Nacional, Lisbon

Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo had the first shot of the second leg after just 35 seconds, but Switzerland keeper Yann Sommer tipped it behind. Sommer then watched Portuguese defender Jardel send a header wide in the fifth minute. There was some concern for home winger Nani when he picked up a knock in the 8th minute and had to come off briefly for treatment. He was back on the pitch by the time A Selecção had their next chance in the 10th minute through Ivan Cavaleiro, whose shot was comfortably gathered by Sommer. Switzerland came under more pressure in the 19th minute, when Sommer caught a strike from Adrien. The visitors got their first opportunity to counter-attack a couple of minutes later, but Admir Mehmedi's shot was deflected behind off Portugal's holding midfielder Danilo Pereira. The resulting corner delivery from Luca Zuffi found Swiss centre-back Timm Klose, whose header was saved by Rui Patrício. Both goalkeepers would be tested late on in the half. A careless back-pass from Switzerland midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri in the 37th minute was intercepted by Ronaldo, but Sommer was on high alert and turned the Real Madrid forward's shot round his post. Three minutes after that, Rui Patrício caught a long-distance strike from Pajtim Kasami to keep Portugal narrowly ahead on aggregate at half-time.

 

Ronaldo made a couple of rare defensive contributions for A Selecção in the 48th minute. After clearing a Zuffi corner, Ronaldo then blocked a strike from Swiss sub Shani Tarashaj. Switzerland went back on the attack three minutes later, when Kasami's long ball to Haris Seferovic allowed the striker to break through Portugal's defence and level the aggregate scores. Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic made a bold change following that goal, substituting his substitute Tarashaj after just six minutes in favour of a second striker in Breel Embolo. The visitors' desire to win the game without the need of a shoot-out was clear to see, although neither Mehmedi nor Embolo could get on target with their attempts just before the hour mark. Portugal first threatened to reinstate their lead on 68 minutes, when André Gomes hit a blistering 30-yarder that was brilliantly caught by Sommer. Another Gomes shot skimmed the bar in the 73rd minute, as did a Ronaldo header in the 90th minute, but A Selecção couldn't quite finish off Switzerland. With both legs finishing 1-0 to the visitors, the tie would have to be decided on penalties.

 

Switzerland took an early lead in the shoot-out when Sommer saved Portugal's second penalty from Cavaleiro. Parity would soon be restored when the third Swiss penalty - taken by Fabian Frei - was kept out by Rui Patrício. The shoot-out remained very tight throughout, and it went all the way to the eighth round of kicks. After Paulo Oliveira sent Portugal 6-5 up, Switzerland captain Johan Djourou stepped up... and had his penalty saved by Rui Patrício. A Selecção had scraped through to the Quarter Finals in dramatic fashion!

 

Portugal - 0

Switzerland - 1 (Haris Seferovic 51)

PENALTY SHOOT-OUT: Ronaldo 1-0, Kasami 1-1, Cavaleiro saved, Rodríguez 1-2, Gomes 2-2, Frei saved, Cancelo 3-2, Barnetta saved, Coentrão saved, Seferovic 3-3, Moutinho 4-3, Embolo 4-4, Vierinha 5-4, Klose 5-5, Oliveira 6-5, Djourou saved.

[1-1 on aggregate, Portugal win 6-5 on penalties]

PORTUGAL LINE-UP: Rui Patrício; João Cancelo, Paulo Oliveira, Jardel, Fábio Coentrão; Danilo Pereira (William Carvalho 52); João Moutinho, Adrien (André Gomes 57); Nani (Vierinha 45), Ivan Cavaleiro; Cristiano Ronaldo ©.

SWITZERLAND LINE-UP: Yann Sommer; Stephan Lichtsteiner, Johan Djourou ©, Timm Klose, Ricardo Rodríguez; Luca Zuffi, Fabian Frei, Pajtim Kasami; Xherdan Shaqiri (Shani Tarashaj 45 (Breel Embolo 52)), Admir Mehmedi (Tranquillo Barnetta 61); Haris Seferovic. BOOKED: Kasami 89.

REFEREE: Néstor Pitana (Argentina).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Pajtim Kasami (Switzerland).

 

Czech Republic vs Ukraine - at Generali Arena, Prague

Ukraine were 1-0 down after the first leg, and they were having to defend in numbers early on in the second period. Ladislav Krejci's left-wing deliveries for the Czech Republic were particularly dangerous as far as the Yellow-Blue were concerned. The Czechs may have been the more attacking team in the opening stages, but it was actually Ukraine who had the game's first shot on target. After 18 minutes, wideman Eugene Konoplyanka played the ball through to attacking midfielder Victor Kovalenko, and Czech captain Petr Cech had to charge from his line to parry Kovalenko's shot. Another Ukrainian attack four minutes later ended in success for the visitors. Eugene Seleznyov picked up an incisive pass from Kovalenko and selflessly squared it to the returning Andriy Yarmolenko, who made it 1-1 on aggregate. Another player who was back in Ukraine's starting line-up was regular goalkeeper Denys Boyko, who caught a shot from David Limbersky in the 28th minute. Boyko should have been seriously tested again five minutes later, but Martin Frydek failed to even hit the target from a great position for the Czech Republic. Krejci then struck a free-kick wide for the hosts on 42 minutes before the half ended with a Cech save from Kovalenko.

 

Milan Skoda replaced Matej Vydra early in the second half, but Skoda made a stalling start to his game when he flicked Krejci's corner wide in the 53rd minute. Another corner delivery from Krejci two minutes later found Jakub Brabec, who likewise was unable to hit the target. Ukraine created a chance from a set-piece of their own after 58 minutes, but Cech made light work of Erik Sviatchenko's header from a Konoplyanka free-kick. After a tense 10 minutes or so, the Yellow-Blue went close again on 71 minutes. Yarmolenko sent a hanging-ball corner over to Eugene Khacheridi, who couldn't quite keep his header down. The increased Ukrainian pressure was beginning to tell on the Czech Republic, and with six minutes to go, the hosts' resistance cracked. Sviatchenko swung a ball from out wide to Sergiy Rybalka, who passed short to Vitaliy Buyalskyi. The Dynamo Kiev midfielder then found the run of Roman Zozulya, who smacked in a priceless goal for Ukraine! The Czechs weren't quite finished, but they now needed two goals in the closing moments to save themselves. They couldn't even get one, as Skoda's 87th-minute header failed to trouble Boyko. When Krejci hobbled off with a heel injury in added-on time, the Czech Republic's fate was sealed, as was Ukraine's place in the last eight.

 

Czech Republic - 0

Ukraine - 2 (Andriy Yarmolenko 22, Roman Zozulya 84)

[ukraine win 2-1 on aggregate]

CZECH REPUBLIC LINE-UP: Petr Cech ©; Vladimir Coufal, Marek Suchy, Jakub Brabec, David Limbersky; Tomas Horava, David Pavelka (Petr Jiracek 57); Martin Frydek (Vaclav Pilar 57), Vladimir Darida, Ladislav Krejci; Matej Vydra (Milan Skoda 51). BOOKED: Limbersky 51.

UKRAINE LINE-UP: Denys Boyko; Artem Fedetskyi (Danilo Silva 70), Erik Sviatchenko, Eugene Khacheridi, Eugene Makarenko; Ruslan Rotan ©, Sergiy Rybalka; Andriy Yarmolenko, Victor Kovalenko (Vitaliy Buyalskyi 57), Eugene Konoplyanka; Eugene Seleznyov (Roman Zozulya 64). BOOKED: Rybalka 59.

REFEREE: Ben Williams (Australia).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Andriy Yarmolenko (Ukraine).

[CFuller]

Round 7, Leg 2 Results

17 June 2016

Austria vs France - at Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna

France striker Alexandre Lacazette had a couple of shots at goal in the third minute. One of them was blocked by Austria defender Aleksandar Dragovic, while the other drifted wide. The Burschen also made an encouraging start on the attacking front, with Martin Harnik and captain Christian Fuchs each having attempts caught by French skipper Hugo Lloris in the first nine minutes. On 22 minutes, Paul Pogba hit a blistering shot that went close to finding the target for Les Bleus. Two other French midfielders would produce the goods after 32 minutes. Yohan Cabaye swung a free-kick into the Austria area and found Francis Coquelin, whose finish put France in almost total control of the tie. That was a particularly gutting moment for Austria centre-back Martin Hinteregger, who'd fatefully mistimed his jump when attempting to clear Cabaye's delivery. That mistake meant the hosts now needed to score three times to turn the tie in their favour. Lloris kept them waiting for the first when he saved efforts from Harnik in the 38th minute and Alessandro Schöpf in additional time. At 2-0 up, it seemed that little could go wrong for Les Bleus... or could it?

 

The first sign of nerves in the French camp came six minutes into the second half. Schöpf's attempted through-ball to Florian Grillitsch was intercepted by France left-back Layvin Kurzawa, but his intervention only diverted the ball on to Harnik, who fired an easy finish beyond Lloris. Les Bleus coach Didier Deschamps made some changes to try and shake his team back into life, with Pogba and the inefficient Karim Benzema among those who were sacrificed. However, the momentum was now well and truly with Austria. An incisive Burschen counter-attack in the 70th minute ended with Austria's star player David Alaba playing the ball through to Louis Schaub, who curled a glorious shot into the far end of the net. France's aggregate lead was now in tatters, though they still had the upper hand, courtesy of that away goal from Coquelin. They sought another goal two minutes later in a bid to regain control, but substitute Kevin Gameiro's shot cleared the crossbar. Another sub tried and failed to secure victory for France in the 82nd minute, as Rémy Cabella was thwarted by goalie Cican Stankovic. Four minutes later, the French nightmare came to a head. Alaba's long ball was flicked on by Schöpf ahead of Austrian substitute Marcel Sabitzer, who burst clear of defender Laurent Koscielny to latch onto it. Although he was shooting from a very tight angle, Sabitzer managed to squeeze the ball into the net off Lloris' thigh. Austria had come from two goals behind to lead Les Bleus... but the job hadn't quite been finished. Cabella smacked the post for France in the 87th minute, while an excellent last-minute save from Stankovic denied Antoine Griezmann the chance to save the visitors' pride. That late Gallic surge wasn't enough, as the final-stage hosts were shut out of their own party, and Austria advanced to the Quarter Finals!

 

Austria - 3 (Martin Harnik 51, Louis Schaub 70, Marcel Sabitzer 86)

France - 1 (Francis Coquelin 32)

[Austria win 3-2 on aggregate]

AUSTRIA LINE-UP: Cican Stankovic; Florian Klein, Martin Hinteregger (Stipe Vucur 70), Aleksandar Dragovic, Christian Fuchs ©; Julian Baumgartlinger (Raphael Holzhauser 69), David Alaba; Florian Grillitsch, Alessandro Schöpf, Louis Schaub; Martin Harnik (Marcel Sabitzer 75). BOOKED: Alaba 22, Fuchs 39, Klein 82.

FRANCE LINE-UP: Hugo Lloris ©; Bacary Sagna, Laurent Koscielny, Raphaël Varane (Aymeric Laporte 69), Layvin Kurzawa; Francis Coquelin; Paul Pogba (Rémy Cabella 58), Yohan Cabaye; Alexandre Lacazette, Antoine Griezmann; Karim Benzema (Kevin Gameiro 63). BOOKED: Coquelin 5, Koscielny 39, Cabaye 47.

REFEREE: Peter Green (New Zealand).

MAN OF THE MATCH: David Alaba (Austria).

 

Germany vs Greece - at Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen

Germany made an encouraging start to the second leg, with Mario Götze having their first shot at goal in the sixth minute. After a quick one-two with Thomas Müller, Götze struck an effort that deflected off Greek defender Dimitris Siovas and into goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis' hands. Mannschaft goalie Manuel Neuer made his first contribution on 13 minutes, saving an attempt from Greece frontman Kostas Mitroglou. The hosts were soon back on the offensive, with Götze and Müller each having shots saved by Karnezis in the 15th and 22nd minutes respectively. Müller would go one better a minute after his first attempt, flicking Kevin Volland's cross past Karnezis. Germany were 2-1 to the good and getting ready to negotiate 'Grexit' - a Greek exit from the World Championship. However, Greece were not willing to discuss the terms of their surrender. In the 26th minute, playmaker Kostas Fortounis had a couple of shots rebound back towards him off Germany's holding midfielder Sami Khedira. Moments later, Fortounis found enough space to run onto an Andreas Samaris through-ball and smash in the goal that levelled the tie. Things would get even better for the Galanolefki four minutes later. Ioannis Fetfatzidis squared the ball to Mitroglou, who got behind Mannschaft defender Mats Hummels to fire it past Neuer. Greece were ahead for the first time, and Germany would be heading out unless they scored twice more! Although Müller had a couple of shots saved by Karnezis in the 36th and 37th minute, the hosts didn't feel the need to panic. They would use the half-time break as an opportunity to regroup before a second-half surge...

 

...or at least that was the plan. An early half-volley from Götze flew into Karnezis' hands, while Hummels flicked a header over in the 49th minute. Karnezis and the Greek defenders continued to sit back and fend off Germany's assaults. Midfielder Panagiotis Tachtsidis made a particularly determined block from Müller after 54 minutes. The Galanolefki also launched the occasional counter-attack, such as in the 71st minute, when José Holebas sent a fierce shot high and wide. Things quickly got desperate for the Mannschaft, who were soon being restricted to shooting from long range. Karim Bellarabi had a number of ambitious attempts at goal in the final quarter-hour, but only one - in the 82nd minute - got near Karnezis in the Greek goal. Karnezis was enjoying one of the best performances of his career, and after a few more nervous minutes, he and his team-mates could celebrate another famous victory. Second seeds Germany had sensationally been scalped in Round 7! 12 years on from their shock European Championship triumph, were Greece about to stun international football again?

 

Germany - 1 (Thomas Müller 23)

Greece - 2 (Kostas Fortounis 26, Kostas Mitroglou 30)

[Greece win 3-2 on aggregate]

GERMANY LINE-UP: Manuel Neuer ©; Shkodran Mustafi, Mats Hummels, Holger Badstuber (Matthias Ginter 63), Jérôme Boateng; Karim Bellarabi, Sami Khedira (Emre Can 63), Toni Kroos, Kevin Volland; Mario Götze (Julian Draxler 57); Thomas Müller.

GREECE LINE-UP: Orestis Karnezis; Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Kostas Manolas, Dimitris Siovas, Vasilis Torosidis ©; Ioannis Fetfatzidis, Andreas Samaris (Thanos Petsos 45), Panagiotis Tachtsidis, José Holebas (Aris Soiledis 75); Kostas Fortounis; Kostas Mitroglou (Tasos Bakasetas 81).

REFEREE: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Orestis Karnezis (Greece).

[sherwinriga]

What a worst ending to the European giants, France and Germany, while Portugal is alive and cleared. I would wait to see a Colombian win in their home stadium against Algeria while Argentina will walk away to the quarterfinals quickly.

[CFuller]

What a worst ending to the European giants, France and Germany, while Portugal is alive and cleared. I would wait to see a Colombian win in their home stadium against Algeria while Argentina will walk away to the quarterfinals quickly.

How typical is it that France, Germany, Netherlands and Spain have all gone, yet Ronaldo and co are still standing? And if Portugal beat Ukraine in the Quarters, they've got a Semi against either Austria or Greece! It's almost as if Cristiano wrote the script!

As for Colombia and Argentina... well, let's just say that one of the results may come as a surprise.

[CFuller]

Round 7, Leg 2 Results

18 June 2016

England vs Russia - at Wembley, London

England were 2-0 up after the first leg, and a Wayne Rooney corner would lead to them scoring again early in the second. Jordan Henderson and Ross Barkley each had shots blocked by the Russian defence before left-back Luke Shaw broke through, firing the Three Lions into the lead after just 50 seconds. The hosts looked good to build on their sizeable advantage in the 7th minute, although Barkley's strike was kept out by a brave block from Russia striker Alexandr Kokorin. On 19 minutes, Theo Walcott's cross from the right wing was flicked past the back post by Harry Kane. Russia created their first attack a minute later, but Kokorin's effort didn't really have enough power to get beyond Jack Butland in the England goal. Play would then switch from end to end for the next few minutes, with England unsurprisingly having the better scoring chances. Kane wasted another opportunity to send the home team further ahead on 25 minutes, while Raheem Sterling's header a minute latter cannoned off the bar and behind the goal. Kane did find the net after 30 minutes, though the Tottenham Hotspur frontman was fractionally offside when Walcott crossed to him. As the first half drew towards a close, England began to look even more comfortable. Sterling was kept off the scoresheet in the 45th minute by a superb save from Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, who then held onto Chris Smalling's header from the resultant Rooney corner. Akinfeev would make one more save just before half-time, deflecting a shot from Barkley against his left-hand post to keep the Russian deficit down.

 

Yet another England shot struck the woodwork a minute into the second half, as the crossbar kept out Kane's header from Walcott's cross. This wasn't to be a particularly enjoyable evening for Kane, who missed the target thrice more before making way for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The Three Lions could take things relatively easy for the last half-hour, as Russia were hardly putting up a fight anymore. Indeed, midfielder Roman Neustädter's wayward shot in the 72nd minute would be the last we saw from the Russians, who'd made all three substitutions at half-time and still looked short on ideas. They wouldn't be the team that ended England's run of clean sheets, but they also wouldn't allow themselves to get thrashed. Akinfeev did brilliantly in the 81st minute to tip behind a blistering strike from Everton midfielder Barkley, who was very unfortunate not to score. The final whistle about ten minutes later confirmed that England were safely into the last eight of the World Championship.

 

England - 1 (Luke Shaw 1)

Russia - 0

[England win 3-0 on aggregate]

ENGLAND LINE-UP: Jack Butland; Eric Dier, John Stones, Chris Smalling, Luke Shaw; Jordan Henderson, Ross Barkley; Theo Walcott (James Milner 61), Wayne Rooney ©, Raheem Sterling (Saido Berahino 67); Harry Kane (Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 61). BOOKED: Henderson 83.

RUSSIA LINE-UP: Igor Akinfeev; Sergey Parshivlyuk, Vasily Berezutskiy ©, Vladimir Granat, Georgy Schennikov (Alexey Berezutskiy 45); Sergey Petrov, Roman Neustädter; Alexander Samedov (Dmitry Kombarov 45), Oleg Shatov, Denis Cheryshev (Igor Denisov 45); Alexandr Kokorin. BOOKED: Petrov 50, Denisov 67.

REFEREE: Wílmar Alexander Roldán (Colombia).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Ross Barkley (England).

 

Colombia vs Algeria - at Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla

Colombia defender Jeison Murillo powered wide a header from captain James Rodríguez in the third minute as Los Cafeteros looked to get back in the tie. Five minutes later, Colombia were fortunate not to go 2-0 behind on aggregate. Algeria winger Riyad Mahrez's cross from the left flank was flicked into the net by Nabil Ghilas... but the goal was ruled out after the officials spotted a foul from Ghilas. Colombia went back on the offensive in the 11th minute, with Rodríguez's banana shot forcing Fennecs goalie Azzedine Doukha into a difficult save. Three minutes after that, Pablo Armero's left-wing delivery found Jackson Martínez, whose header evaded Doukha and restored parity for the hosts. Algeria responded with an encouraging attacking move in the 19th minute that resulted in Islam Slimani flicking Ghilas' right-wing cross over the bar. The Fennecs' hopes took a dent when captain Nacereddine Khoualed suffered a facial injury in a collision with Martínez two minutes later. Khoualed was able to play on, but he was badly hampered when Daniel Bocanegra sent a Colombian cross to Falcao in the 42nd minute. Falcao got away from Khoualed and aimed a header towards goal, but the woodwork spared the Algerians from falling behind. That said, Los Cafeteros were now showing their true quality, and many people were expecting them to take control of the tie in the second half.

 

Algeria striker Slimani and Colombia frontman Falcao each missed chances for their respective sides early in the second half, although they would both have better luck later on. Firstly, after 53 minutes, Falcao volleyed in an Armero delivery to send Colombia in front on aggregate. Many sensed that Algeria's challenge was nearing its end, but Slimani proved the doubters wrong four minutes later. A cool finish from Walid Mesloub's incisive ball sent the Fennecs back in front via the away goals rule, and Colombia had to go back on the offensive. Armero tried to retake the initiative for Los Cafeteros by completing a hat-trick of assists in the 62nd minute, but his latest cross into the Algerian box was nodded over by Martínez. Four minutes after that, Rodríguez was thwarted by a block from Algeria midfielder Saphir Taïder. Colombia's anxieties grew as time passed by without them scoring again. Sebastián Pérez and Armero each received bookings for the hosts either side of an 80th-minute shot from Khoualed that Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina had to catch. On 86 minutes, Mahrez's long pass presented Fennecs striker Abdelmoumene Djabou with an opportunity to seal victory for Algeria. Djabou attempted to chip Ospina, but his shot cleared the bar, and thus Algeria still had work to do. Khoualed blocked one final Colombian effort from Falcao in injury time, and the North Africans could begin their celebrations shortly afterwards. The fourth seeds had fallen prey to the Fennecs!

 

Colombia - 2 (Jackson Martínez 14, Falcao 53)

Algeria - 1 (Islam Slimani 57)

[2-2 on aggregate, Algeria win on away goals]

COLOMBIA LINE-UP: David Ospina; Daniel Bocanegra, Cristián Zapata (Éder Álvarez Balanta 63), Jeison Murillo, Pablo Armero; Jefferson Lerma (Dorlan Pabón 63), Carlos Carbonero (Andrés Roa 51), Sebastián Pérez; James Rodríguez ©; Jackson Martínez, Falcao. BOOKED: Pérez 78, Armero 84.

ALGERIA LINE-UP: Azzedine Doukha; Aïssa Mandi, Nacereddine Khoualed ©, Liassine Cadamuro, Faouzi Ghoulam (Brahim Boudebouda 51); Walid Mesloub (Djamel Abdoun 58), Saphir Taïder, Nabil Bentaleb, Riyad Mahrez; Nabil Ghilas (Abdelmoumene Djabou 53), Islam Slimani.

REFEREE: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Riyad Mahrez (Algeria).

[CFuller]

Round 7, Leg 2 Results

19 June 2016

Croatia vs Italy - at Maksimir, Zagreb

Italy captain Gianluigi Buffon saved a shot from Croatia's skipper Ivan Rakitic in the second minute as both teams looked to gain the early initiative. It was the Italians who succeeded after six minutes, as Alessandro Florenzi played a one-two with Matteo Darmian before slipping the ball beyond home goalkeeper Danijel Subasic. Croatia had already had Mateo Kovacic booked, and another booking in the 9th minute - for right-back Domagoj Vida - did little to settle them down. By the 17th minute, though, Vida had helped to allay the home fans' worst fears. Vida squared the ball to Ivo Ilicevic, whose floating delivery towards the far post was volleyed in by Ivan Perisic for the equaliser. Rakitic kept the Vatreni level on 22 minutes by throwing himself in front of a Florenzi shot to deflect it behind. Florenzi had more misfortune in the 25th minute, when his next attempt drifted wide of goal. On 28 minutes, Buffon saved Italy's skins by blocking a half-volley from Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic before his central defender Alessio Romagnoli hacked the danger away. Both sides would go fairly close to scoring again just before the break. A poor back-pass from Vida on 38 minutes led to an opportunity for Azzurri frontman Sebastian Giovinco, but Subasic charged forward to make a superb parry. Buffon then kept out a 45th-minute volley from Croatian wideman Perisic, who narrowly missed out on his second goal.

 

Croatia survived another scare in the 48th minute, when Giovinco's shot deflected off Kovacic and into Subasic's hands. By the 54th minute, it was Italy who were living dangerously. Ilicevic cut the ball across their penalty area to Luka Modric, whose strike was awkwardly palmed away by Buffon. Two minutes after that, Vida swung another dangerous ball into the Azzurri area. The delivery couldn't quite find Mandzukic... but that was because it deflected off Italian veteran Daniele De Rossi and into the net. With Croatia now in the ascendancy, Italy's head coach Antonio Conte decided to shake up his frontline. In the 63rd minute, shortly after coming on for Giovinco, Brazilian-born striker Éder hit a 25-yard shot that was well saved by Subasic. Éder was later joined up front by Lorenzo Insigne, but the only shot that the Napoli man could muster was a long-range volley that flew far too high in the 77th minute. Five minutes after that, Giorgio Chiellini curled in an Italian shot that was frantically cleared behind by Croatian defender Dejan Lovren. The Vatreni were feeling the heat... but a huge weight would be lifted off their shoulders in the 90th minute. A reckless tackle from Italy full-back Davide Santon on Croatian youngster Adrien Thomasson resulted in Santon being dismissed for a second bookable offence, and Croatia were now tantalisingly close to the Quarter Finals. Modric made certain of their progress with a third home goal in the second minute of injury time. The Azzurri really were feeling the blues.

 

Croatia - 3 (Ivan Perisic 17, Daniele De Rossi og56, Luka Modric 90)

Italy - 1 (Alessandro Florenzi 6)

[Croatia win 4-2 on aggregate]

CROATIA LINE-UP: Danijel Subasic; Domagoj Vida, Vedran Corluka, Dejan Lovren, Ivan Strinic; Mateo Kovacic, Luka Modric; Ivo Ilicevic (Adrien Thomasson 72), Ivan Rakitic © (Marcelo Brozovic 50), Ivan Perisic; Mario Mandzukic (Andrej Kramaric 77). BOOKED: Kovacic 5, Vida 9, Strinic 45, Lovren 80, Corluka 85.

ITALY LINE-UP: Gianluigi Buffon ©; Daniele De Rossi (Daniele Rugani 67), Alessio Romagnoli, Giorgio Chiellini; Davide Santon, Claudio Marchisio, Matteo Darmian; Marco Verratti, Alessandro Florenzi; Sebastian Giovinco (Éder 62), Franco Vázquez (Lorenzo Insigne 67). BOOKED: Darmian 31, Florenzi 65, Santon 75. SENT OFF: Santon 90.

REFEREE: Sandro Meira Ricci (Brazil).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Domagoj Vida (Croatia).

 

Argentina vs Ghana - at Antonio Vespucci Liberti, Buenos Aires

Argentina's narrow lead from the first leg looked rather fragile early in the second. Goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero needed to make a stunning point-blank save from Ghana winger Nana Asare after just three minutes. A minute later, Albiceleste left-back Nicolás Tagliafico was floored by a crunching tackle from Ghana's right-back Harrison Afful. Afful was lucky to escape with a yellow card, even though Tagliafico was very seriously hurt and had to be stretchered off the field. Scans would later confirm that the 23-year-old had broken his leg. Ghana's bright start continued in the eighth minute, with Asare setting up a great opportunity for captain Asamoah Gyan, who scuffed his half-volley wide. Argentina's first real scoring chance came on 15 minutes, when skipper Lionel Messi's corner was nodded against the crossbar by substitute full-back Walter Kannemann. The rest of the first half was a very scrappy affair, as three more Ghanaians joined Afful in the referee's notebook. Kannemann also had his name taken, as did Argentine colleague Javier Mascherano. Not until the first minute of first-half injury time did La Albiceleste burst into life. Messi made a bursting run towards goal and then played in Sergio Agüero, who got through a gap in the Black Stars defence before blasting the ball home from 25 yards. Unless Ghana could score twice in the second half, top seeds Argentina would be heading through to the Quarter Finals.

 

Ghana continued to resort to dirty tactics in the second half. Bernard Mensah became their fifth player to receive a yellow card when he tripped up Messi in the 55th minute. Messi was unruffled by the Black Stars' shenanigans, but Barovero came under strain ten minutes later, when he blocked a close-range effort from Ghana defender Jonathan Mensah. That would be the visitors' last big chance to end Argentina's excellent record of not conceding a goal throughout their run in the World Championship. Ghana would have to resort to damage limitation in the latter part of the second half, with goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey needing to save shots from Messi in the 69th minute and Carlos Tevez a minute later. Tevez, who'd replaced the excellent Agüero earlier on, struck the post in the 77th minute as his wait to score a World Championship goal continued. It wouldn't have made much difference if Tevez had scored, as Argentina continued their comfortable progress towards what they hoped would be global glory. However, La Albiceleste would have to continue their journey without Tagliafico, and possibly also Augusto Fernández, whose tournament was put in serious jeopardy when the midfielder injured his thigh late on.

 

Argentina - 1 (Sergio Agüero 45)

Ghana - 0

[Argentina win 2-0 on aggregate]

ARGENTINA LINE-UP: Marcelo Barovero; Pablo Zabaleta, Mateo Musacchio, Nicolás Otamendi, Nicolás Tagliafico (Walter Kannemann 6); Javier Mascherano (Augusto Fernández 63); Roberto Pereyra, Ángel Di María; Lionel Messi ©, Nicolás Gaitán; Sergio Agüero (Carlos Tevez 63). BOOKED: Mascherano 11, Kannemann 32.

GHANA LINE-UP: Adam Kwarasey; Harrison Afful (Isaac Donkor 56), John Boye, Jonathan Mensah, Baba Rahman; Alfred Duncan; Isaac Cofie, Bernard Mensah; Albert Adomah (Richard Boakye 62), Nana Asare; Asamoah Gyan © (Majeed Waris 67). BOOKED: Afful 4, Rahman 12, Gyan 24, Duncan 27, B Mensah 55.

REFEREE: Daniele Orsato (Italy).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Sergio Agüero (Argentina).

[CFuller]

The Truth About Moscow?

It was the middle of June 2016. A week had passed since Russian football match-fixer Ruslan Sayfutdinov was first questioned by Interpol about the murder of Marco Sepe in April.

 

Sayfutdinov had routinely denied any accusations that he had strangled Sepe - a Swiss advertising salesman who had allegedly offered bungs to South African players and staff before a World Championship qualifier in Russia. The 44-year-old died a month later in suspicious circumstances at his home in Zurich.

 

Despite Sayfutdinov's denials, evidence was mounting that indicated that he had indeed killed Sepe.

 

Previously, there was next to no firm evidence that Sayfutdinov had travelled to Switzerland, aside from a witness account from a woman who claimed to have spotted him lurking just outside Sepe's home on the afternoon of the murder.

 

Then came some much more convincing proof, courtesy of CCTV footage from Zurich Airport. The tall, burly Russian could be seen walking through Terminal 1 on the afternoon of 26 April - approximately 24 hours before Sepe's death. Sayfutdinov would then be seen again at the airport the following evening, little more than an hour or two after he'd allegedly committed the murder.

 

Interpol asked a number of airlines for passenger records for several flights arriving in and leaving Zurich Airport on 26 and 27 April respectively. They could not find Sayfutdinov's list on any flights from Russia to Zurich... but then it emerged that the suspect was no longer living in Russia.

 

It seemed that Sayfutdinov had actually been based in Helsinki since February. After realising this, Interpol requested a passenger list from Finnair - the flag-carrier airline of the Finnish government - for a Helsinki to Zurich flight on 26 April. Finnair complied, releasing a list that contained the entry: SAYFUTDINOV, RUSLAN - age 46.

 

The passenger list for a return flight also contained Sayfutdinov's name, providing firm evidence that he had been in Switzerland at the time of Sepe's murder. However, it could not yet be said with certainty that he had carried out the attack.

 

Interpol acquired a search warrant for Sayfutdinov's apartment in Helsinki, where he lived with his wife Dinara and their young daughter Amina. They scoured the apartment for evidence of any contact between Sayfutdinov and Sepe, but came up empty. Phone, email, and social media records also failed to turn up any incriminating evidence.

 

Officers then questioned Dinara Sayfutdinova about her husband's whereabouts in late April. She admitted that Ruslan had briefly gone away to Switzerland, in order to "carry out some important business". Dinara quickly realised that she'd effectively incriminated her husband and tried to retract her statement, but the cat was out of the bag, and it wasn't getting back in any time soon.

 

Although they were still without a motive, or concrete physical evidence, Interpol now felt confident that they could charge Sayfutdinov with murder. However, they also believed that he held the key to solving the mystery of why Sepe had attempted to bribe the South African team on that night in Moscow.

 

Sayfutdinov was offered a plea bargain. If he confessed to murdering Sepe, and revealed all he knew about the attempt to fix the Russia vs South Africa game, the authorities would ask for him to be given a more lenient custodial sentence were he to be found guilty.

 

Sayfutdinov effectively have to choose between keeping quiet and spending the rest of his life behind bars, or spilling the beans on his fellow crooks and risking future reprisals. He cracked, and chose the latter option.

 

Sayfutdinov revealed that, at the start of March, he had staked 100 million Roubles across four separate Asian betting accounts - on South Africa to defeat Russia in Moscow.

 

A passionate Tatar who had for several years campaigned for Tatarstan's independence, Sayfutdinov absolutely loathed the Russian national football team, and indeed the Russian Federation itself. He claimed that the failure of Russia to qualify for the World Championship finals would not have only stoked a fever of separatism in Tatarstan, but it would also have "humiliated [Vladimir] Putin and crushed [Vitaly] Mutko's career".

 

Sayfutdinov's match-fixing syndicate would do whatever it took to ensure that Russia lost, even going so far as to attempt to bribe two of the Swedish assistant referees into giving key decisions against the hosts. However, just 48 hours before the match, Sayfutdinov received word from an insider in Zurich that FIFA President Gio Bambini had been spotted outside a restaurant shaking a mystery man's hand, and telling him, "Have a great time in Moscow, but remember, it is critical that the Russians get what they want."

 

For Sayfutdinov, attention quickly turned from fixing the game in South Africa's favour, to ensuring that any attempt to bribe the South Africans failed. He travelled to Moscow, found out which hotel the South African team would be staying in on the night before the game, and waited outside for Sepe. However, Sayfutdinov arrived too late to prevent Bambini's friend from entering the hotel, and his first glimpse of the Swiss was a few minutes later, when he departed.

 

Sayfutdinov quietly followed the man as he got into his rental car and prepared to drive off. The Russian then entered his car and followed him all the way to another hotel, where he would be staying for the night. After finding out which room the man was staying in, he bribed the hotel receptionist into revealing his identity. The man's name was Marco Sepe.

 

This revelation stunned Sayfutdinov, as he'd actually known Sepe for the last couple of years. This 'advertising executive' was actually a professional conman who had previously helped him to rig at least three matches - in Austria, Greece and Montenegro. Indeed, Sayfutdinov had contacted Sepe a fortnight earlier with a view to fixing another Greek league game. Now, though, they were on opposite sides.

 

Sepe's attempts to bribe South Africa had been unsuccessful... but at the same time, Sayfutdinov's ploy had backfired. He lost millions of Roubles, his match-fixing syndicate fell apart, and he received a number of death threats from some members of the Tatar mafia who had previously backed him. He now wanted to get his own back on Sepe - and on FIFA.

 

Sayfutdinov spent the next few weeks tracking down Sepe and sending him threatening phone calls. Once he'd located where Sepe was living, he discarded his phone, throwing it into the Kuybyshev Sea near his hometown of Kazan. He then travelled back to his new home in Finland for a few days while he prepared to carry out his attack.

 

On 26 April, Sayfutdinov arrived in Zurich with vengeance on his mind. The following afternoon, he showed up unannounced at Sepe's house, forced himself inside, and lunged at his target. The diminutive Swiss was no match for the tall and beastly Russian, who strangled him for a couple of minutes before leaving him for dead in the kitchen. When police discovered Sepe's body a day-and-a-half later, it was far too late to save him.

 

Ruslan Sayfutdinov was formally charged with the first-degree murder of Marco Sepe on the evening of 17 June 2016. He was subsequently deported to Switzerland, where he would await trial.

 

That criminal investigation may have been over, but thanks to Sayfutdinov's startling revelations about Gio Bambini's involvement in match-fixing, another was about to intensify.

[CFuller]

Quarter Finals Preview

Round 5 of the FIFA World Championship had seen plenty of shocks, and Round 7 had proven similarly painful for some of world football's biggest nations. Second seeds Germany had fallen by the wayside, failing to add the inaugural World Championship to a large trophy haul that included the 2014 World Cup. France - the hosts for the Semi Finals and Final - were also out of the running, as were fourth seeds Colombia and the always-dangerous Italy.

 

For the eight teams who were still in the running, the glittering prize of the newly-commissioned João Havelange Trophy was almost in their sights. Named after the 100-year-old former FIFA President from Brazil, the 'JHT' stood at 18 inches high, weighed slightly over 20 pounds, and was made from 18 carat gold. It was arguably a more extravagant prize than the Jules Rimet Trophy or its World Cup replacement ever was.

 

The team that would eventually have the honour of lifting that new trophy would only have to play four more matches. They were just one home-and-away tie, and potentially as few as 180 minutes, away from booking a trip to Saint-Denis for the final week of the tournament.

 

Going into the Quarter Finals, the favourites to get their mitts on the silverware were Argentina and England. Those two bitter foes were on a collision course to meet in the second Semi Final on 30 June, barring any further upsets in the last eight. The path to the Quarters had been fairly smooth for both sides - they were the only teams to have won all of their matches thus far, and also the only teams not to have conceded any goals yet.

 

Nearly half a century on from their only major tournament victory, England fans were sensing that 2016 would be their year. However, they couldn't afford to take their Quarter Final opponents lightly, otherwise the team seen by many as Europe's biggest underachievers in international football would face the risk of another premature exit.

 

Standing in the Three Lions' way were the Fennecs of Algeria - Africa's last survivors, and conquerors of Colombia. The last meeting between these two nations had come at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Algeria defended manfully to secure a goalless draw that led to a strong backlash from English football fans and journalists.

 

Tabloid newspaper The Sun was fiercely patriotic when it came to the England football team, and their writers were always on hand to provide snappy headlines. The Sun had dubbed England's Round 7 win over Russia as "EASKI", and before the first leg of their Quarter Final in Algiers, they declared on their front page, "Forget about 2010... this time, Algeria will get their JUST DESERTS."

 

Algeria coach Christian Gourcuff was asked about the newspaper headline on the morning of that first game. The Frenchman laughed it off and said, "The only thing that matters to me is what happens on the pitch, not what some English journalist says in the newspapers."

 

Like England, Argentina would have to be very much on their guard. Although Gerardo Martino's Albiceleste side had flown through the previous three rounds, they - as the number 1 seeds - had huge targets on their backs.

 

Looking to claim the biggest scalp yet were Croatia - the small ex-Yugoslav nation who had almost always overperformed in a footballing sense. Victory over Italy in Round 7 was actually not much of a surprise, as the Croats were seeded slightly higher than the Azzurri, but it would really make the world stand up and take notice if they could upset Argentina.

 

As always, Argentina would look to their captain Lionel Messi for inspiration. One of Messi's club team-mates at Barcelona was Croatia skipper Ivan Rakitic, who had a few months earlier compared the diminutive forward to Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi for his ingenuity. Friendships and compliments would, however, be cast aside temporarily when Rakitic and Messi battled for their countries' pride.

 

Speaking on the eve of the first leg, Rakitic said, "I love Leo - he's a magician and a massive inspiration to me - but tomorrow, he's just another opponent. I know all about Leo's weak points, and I know about Javier [Mascherano, another Barcelona team-mate] and his weaknesses as well. If we can take advantage of the vulnerabilities in the Argentina team, tomorrow could be a good day for Croatia."

 

The other side of the draw - the all-European top half - could not have been more open. Up there were four teams who could be considered very strong, though not necessarily in the same elite bracket as, say, France and Germany. Those sides should've met in the Quarters had Round 7 gone to the form book, but Austria and Greece had done tremendously well to upset the big boys and set up a meeting that was also intriguing in its own way.

 

With the exceptional talent of David Alaba, and a strong supporting cast that included the likes of Christian Fuchs and Marko Arnautovic, Austria had been rated before the finals as possible dark horses. Few, though, had expected them to turn over France... except Fuchs.

 

The Burschen captain said after the victory over Les Bleus, "I always believed we could win. We like to press high up the pitch and hassle our opponents, and we can be very strong on the counter-attack, as you saw in the second leg. France did not like that, but Greece are a very similar team to us, and so the Quarter Final should be very interesting."

 

Fuch's manager at Leicester City in the 2015/2016 season was Claudio Ranieri, who'd had a nightmare spell as Greece boss before moving to the King Power Stadium. The Greeks had since been revitalised under new German coach Michael Skibbe, who was looking to follow up a shock win over his compatriots with another incredible result.

 

Whoever won that tie could look forward to playing either Portugal or Ukraine in the first Semi Final on 29 June.

 

Since going all the way to the Quarter Finals of their debut World Cup in 2006, Ukraine had done little on the international stage up until this point. Ten years after Andriy Shevchenko was in his pomp, the legendary striker was assisting head coach Mykhaylo Fomenko in his quest to deliver a major international title to eastern Europe.

 

Ukraine's figureheads in 2016 were forwards Andriy Yarmolenko of Dynamo Kiev, and Eugene Konoplyanka of Sevilla. Although both excellent players in their own right, those two combined could not possibly compare to the Madeiran artist and perfectly-sculptured athlete that was Portugal's talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro.

 

Cristiano Ronaldo had well and truly come alive in this World Championship. After spending the best part of a decade carrying the Portugal team through tournaments almost on his own, the Real Madrid megastar was finally thriving in his national colours with the help of in-form colleagues Nani and João Moutinho.

 

Ronaldo was, though, wary of the threat Ukraine's defence would pose to the much more fancied Portuguese. Ahead of the Quarter Final, he said, "Some countries have a small-team mentality when they play against world-class teams like Portugal. They like to defend, defend, defend for 85 minutes and then hit you with one sudden attack if you are not concentrating. That is why we much stay focussed against Ukraine."

 

QUARTER FINALS, LEG 1: 21 June 2016

Austria                              vs      Greece                              
Portugal                             vs      Ukraine                             

QUARTER FINALS, LEG 1: 22 June 2016

Croatia                              vs      Argentina                           
England                              vs      Algeria                             

QUARTER FINALS, LEG 2: 25 June 2016

Greece                               vs      Austria                              
Ukraine                              vs      Portugal                            

QUARTER FINALS, LEG 2: 26 June 2016

Algeria                              vs      England                             
Argentina                            vs      Croatia                             

[CFuller]

Quarter Finals, Leg 1 Results

21 June 2016

Portugal vs Ukraine - at Estádio Nacional, Lisbon

Ukraine needed to stop Cristiano Ronaldo if they wanted to take anything away from the first leg of this Quarter Final. Defender Eugene Khacheridi tried to halt Ronaldo in the second minute... by bringing him down in the penalty area. The referee immediately awarded Portugal a penalty, which Ronaldo converted to open the scoring. Ukraine launched a response in the fifth minute, when Andriy Yarmolenko centred the ball into Portugal's six-yard box. Yellow-Blue striker Eugene Seleznyov got to the ball and had his shot charged down by Paulo Oliveira, while Yarmolenko's follow-up strike drifted beyond the far post. Ivan Cavaleiro then the post for A Selecção in the sixth minute before a couple more disappointing Ukrainian shots from Eugene Konoplyanka and Seleznyov. Portugal looked very comfortable, particularly between the 14th and 22nd minutes, when Ukrainian goalkeeper Denys Boyko had to make no fewer than four saves. Among those who Boyko thwarted was Cavaleiro, who then slid a Ronaldo centre against the post in the 26th minute. Ronaldo's next shot, on 31 minutes, was easily saved by Boyko, who then denied Cavaleiro for a third time five minutes later. After a few more misses from Ronaldo and co, Portugal went into the half-time interval wondering why they weren't already streets ahead of their opponents.

 

Ukriane continued to defend staunchly in the second half, making a number of fantastic blocks to keep Portugal's lead down to a single goal. Centre-backs Khacheridi and Yaroslav Rakitskyi looked particularly strong at the back and were especially dominant in the aerial battles. That said, Ronaldo did let the visitors off the hook on a number of occasions with some uncharacteristically wayward shots. With 20 minutes to go, Portugal manager Fernando Santos made a big change by replacing midfielder André Gomes with João Mario. That substitution would pay off in the 82nd minute. After Ukraine struggled to clear Bernardo Silva's corner, the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder retook the ball and crossed it back into the area. João Mario got his head to the delivery, and his header bounced past a shaky Ukrainian defence before ending up in the net. Another Portuguese sub who could've got his name on the scoresheet was Hugo Vieira, whose 84th-minute effort was turned away by Boyko. Vieira did get the better of Boyko in injury time, heading a deep Fábio Coentrão cross home to give A Selecção a substantial three-goal lead after the first leg.

 

Portugal - 3 (Cristiano Ronaldo pen2, João Mário 82, Hugo Vieira 90)

Ukraine - 0

PORTUGAL LINE-UP: Rui Patrício; João Cancelo (Vierinha 65), Daniel Carriço, Paulo Oliveira, Fábio Coentrão; Rúben Neves, Adrien, André Gomes (João Mario 70); Bernardo Silva; Ivan Caveleiro (Hugo Vieira 65), Cristiano Ronaldo ©.

UKRAINE LINE-UP: Denys Boyko; Artem Fedetskyi, Eugene Khacheridi, Yaroslav Rakitskyi, Eugene Makarenko; Ruslan Rotan © (Maxym Malyshev 61), Vitality Buyalskyi; Andriy Yarmolenko, Victor Kovalenko, Eugene Konoplyanka (Taison 51); Eugene Seleznyov (Roman Zozulya 61). BOOKED: Fedetskyi 61, Malyshev 86.

REFEREE: Mark Geiger (United States of America).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Bernardo Silva (Portugal).

 

Austria vs Greece - at Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna

This Quarter Final between two hitherto unfancied teams began as quite a close affair. Austria had the first pop at goal in the sixth minute, but Marcel Sabitzer couldn't keep his strike on target. Kostas Mitroglou did get on target for Greece in the 11th minute, although Burschen goalkeeper Cican Stankovic pushed the Benfica man's shot away. The deadlock would be broken nine minutes later... by the hosts. Greek goalie Orestis Karnezis struggled to hold onto a cross from Austrian left-back Martin Hinteregger, and the ball fell towards Sabitzer, who slotted it into the net. The match was slowly turning in Austria's favour, and they almost scored again in the 30th minute. Karnezis charged out of his area as he unsuccessfully tried to meet Zlatko Junuzovic's free-kick delivery into the Greek box. His mistake left Julian Baumgartlinger with a clear target, but the Burschen captain incredibly headed his shot over. A difficult game for Karnezis would get worse still four minutes later. The usually dependable Udinese keeper was unable to secure a long-distance shot from Sabitzer, and Florian Grillitsch rushed forward to bury the follow-up. 2-0 to Austria, and that was how the scoreline stayed at the break.

 

An awful shot from Mitroglou in the first minute of the second half suggested that Greece were absolutely nowhere near their best. They could've conceded a third goal on 49 minutes, but Karnezis showed greater composure to tip behind a cross from Austria's right-back Christopher Dibon. Junuzovic drifted the resultant corner in to Stipe Vucur, who got above Greece left-back José Holebas and flicked a header wide. The Galanolefki recomposed after that, and started to pose more of an attacking threat after bringing on a couple of substitutes. Those two subs linked up well in the 60th minute, when Apostolos Giannou found Tasos Bakasetas free in the penalty area. Sadly, for the visiting fans, Bakasetas' strike cleared the crossbar, and so Greece remained two goals behind. Austrian hearts skipped another beat six minutes later, when Aleksandar Dragovic's missed interception saw a long-ball from Greek captain Sokratis Papastathopoulos find Giannou in the penalty area. Giannou was in a good position to shoot, but Dragovic got back and made a vital tackle just before the striker pulled the trigger. Shortly afterwards, Austria launched a counter-attack that fizzled out when Karnezis made an easy catch from Harnik's header. Greece had another excellent chance to halve their deficit in the 72nd minute, when Thanos Petsos' 30-yard volley was pushed behind by Stankovic. Kyriakos Kivrakidis - the Galanolefki's third and final substitute - sent the visitors' last shot wide on 87 minutes, and so Austria held on for a 2-0 win that put them very close to reaching the Semi Finals.

 

Austria - 2 (Marcel Sabitzer 20, Florian Grillitsch 34)

Greece - 0

AUSTRIA LINE-UP: Cican Stankovic; Christopher Dibon, Stipe Vucur, Aleksandar Dragovic, Martin Hinteregger; Julian Baumgartlinger © (Robert Gucher 74), Zlatko Junuzovic; Florian Grillitsch, Alessandro Schöpf, Louis Schaub (Raphael Holzhauser 64); Marcel Sabitzer (Martin Harnik 64).

GREECE LINE-UP: Orestis Karnezis; Sokratis Papastathopoulos ©, Kostas Manolas, Kyriakos Papadopoulos, José Holebas; Ioannis Fetfatzidis, Andreas Samaris, Thanos Petsos, Aris Soiledis (Kyriakos Kivrakidis 63); Kostas Fortounis (Tasos Bakasetas 51); Kostas Mitroglou (Apostolos Giannou 57).

REFEREE: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Marcel Sabitzer (Austria).

[CFuller]

Quarter Finals, Leg 1 Results

22 June 2016

England vs Algeria - at Wembley, London

Algeria captain Nacereddine Khoualed superbly blocked England striker Harry Kane's first attempt at goal after six minutes. Two minutes later, an aerial collision between English right-back Chris Smalling and Algerian winger Yacine Brahimi left the latter with a rather nasty bruise. Brahimi was otherwise not too seriously hurt, and by the 11th minute, his compatriots were starting to seriously worry the Three Lions. Abdelmoumene Djabou exchanged passes with Nabil Bentaleb and then hit a first-time shot that was caught by England goalkeeper Jack Butland. The hosts then went back on the offensive, but Khoualed was as solid as a rock at the back for Algeria. Two more blocks by Khoualed from shots by Theo Walcott in the 18th minute and Luke Shaw in the 19th left the hosts feeling increasingly flustered. Algeria goalkeeper Sofiane Khedairia also impressed, having only moved into the starting XI after regular custodian Azzedine Doukha cut his hand in training on the eve of the match. Khedairia saved four shots in the latter part of the first period, including a couple from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. His opposite number Butland produced an excellent stop of his own on 29 minutes, pushing Nabil Ghilas' effort behind. With the scoreline still at 0-0 after the first half, it was very much all to play for.

 

England renewed their attacking efforts after the break, but Khoualed and co continued to hold them back. Khoualed put his body on the line again in the 53rd minute, deflecting a Smalling shot behind for a corner that the Three Lions quickly wasted. England had brought on their captain Wayne Rooney earlier in the second half in a bid to get their attack going. Rooney fired his first shot at goal on 63 minutes, only for it to be blocked by... yep, Khoualed again. England's fans were growing more and more agitated, and the atmosphere was not pleasant at all by the time Kane flicked a header over the Algerian bar on 70 minutes. Rooney's header two minutes later would be the Three Lions' last opportunity to edge in front. Another couple of minutes passed, and then the Fennecs stunned their hosts by taking the lead. Algeria's main creative outlet Riyad Mahrez played a fantastic weighted ball to Djabou, who outpaced centre-back John Stones and became the first player to breach the England backline in this World Championship! There was potentially more pain to come for England, as Mahrez flicked a header narrowly over the target in the 79th minute. On 85 minutes, Walid Mesloub nodded an unconvincing clearance from Smalling back towards goal, prompting Butland into a catch. Raheem Sterling then hit the side netting for England in the 87th minute as the hosts' unbeaten run came to a sudden halt. The fifth seeds' World Championship campaign looked set to go the same way unless they could battle back from behind in Algiers four days later.

 

England - 0

Algeria - 1 (Abdelmoumene Djabou 74)

ENGLAND LINE-UP: Jack Butland; Chris Smalling, John Stones, Phil Jagielka, Luke Shaw (Leighton Baines 61); Jordan Henderson ©, Ross Barkley; Theo Walcott (James Milner 56), Raheem Sterling, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Wayne Rooney 51); Harry Kane. BOOKED: Barkley 71.

ALGERIA LINE-UP: Sofiane Khedairia; Aïssa Mandi, Liassine Cadamuro, Nacereddine Khoualed ©, Faouzi Ghoulam (Brahim Boudebouda 66); Riyad Mahrez, Saphir Taïder (Haris Belkebla 61), Nabil Bentaleb (Walid Mesloub 45), Yacine Brahimi; Abdelmoumene Djabou, Nabil Ghilas. BOOKED: Bentaleb 17, Ghoulam 44, Mandi 49, Khoualed 68, Boudebouda 84.

REFEREE: Sandro Meira Ricci (Brazil).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Abdelmoumene Djabou (Algeria).

 

Croatia vs Argentina - at Maksimir, Zagreb

A mistake from Argentina defender Nicolás Otamendi almost cost his team dear in the 11th minute. Croatian winger Ivo Ilicevic intercepted Otamendi's header and crossed to Mario Mandzukic, who could only flick a shot wide. Erik Lamela also flattered to deceive with La Albiceleste's first shot at goal a minute later, pulling it beyond the far post. Pablo Zabaleta's long-range half-volley for Argentina in the 17th minute also looked like it was heading wide, although Croatia goalkeeper Danijel Subasic still felt the need to make a save. Subasic would be untroubled by a couple of shots from Ángel Di María and Sergio Agüero in the 19th and 23rd minutes respectively, although another Argentine would find a way past him shortly afterwards. Lionel Messi's delivery to the near post was squirmed over the line by Enzo Pérez, and Argentina were 1-0 up after 25 minutes. It took around ten minutes for the Vatreni to recompose themselves. Ivan Perisic knocked the ball across the Argentine half to Ilicevic, who cut past Marcos Rojo before firing a tame shot into goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero's hands. Croatia were building up another promising attack in the 40th minute when captain Ivan Rakitic was stopped in his tracks by a strong challenge from Zabaleta. It quickly became clear that Rakitic had hurt his heel in the tackle and would not be able to continue in this game. Indeed, the Barcelona midfielder would also have to sit out the second leg as a result of that injury.

 

Croatia didn't quite look the same team without their skipper. Messi went tantalisingly close to sending them 2-0 down on 49 minutes, when his vicious free-kick was tipped behind just in time by Subasic. Four minutes later, Andrej Kramaric - Rakitic's replacement - missed the target with a header from Luka Modric's corner. Mandzukic did get somewhat closer to the target in the 56th minute, though Barovero still made a fairly straightforward save. Croatia were then faced with another injury problem, as substitute midfielder Adrien Thomasson strained his thigh following a clash with Rojo on 59 minutes. Thomasson was able to see out this match, but he would then join Rakitic in having to watch the second leg from the stands. Meanwhile, Subasic looked to make sure that Croatia went into that second leg with their World Championship hopes still intact. Saves from Otamendi in the 65th minute and Pérez in the 71st minute went some way to ensuring that Argentina would not pull miles clear of Croatia. The Vatreni pushed forward again in the final minutes as they looked to possibly turn a narrow defeat into an admirable draw. Mandzukic went close to doing just that on a couple of occasions. The Juventus forward's header from Modric's free-kick on 85 minutes only just skimmed the bar. Four minutes later, Mandzukic had a half-volley saved by Barovero. With a bit more luck, Croatia could have put Argentina under real pressure heading into the rematch, but La Albiceleste remained on course to reach the Semi Finals.

 

Croatia - 0

Argentina - 1 (Enzo Pérez 25)

CROATIA LINE-UP: Danijel Subasic; Sime Vrsaljko, Domagoj Vida, Antonio Milic, Marin Leovac; Marcelo Brozovic, Luka Modric; Ivo Ilicevic (Milan Badelj 45), Ivan Rakitic © (Andrej Kramaric 42), Ivan Perisic (Adrien Thomasson 51); Mario Mandzukic.

ARGENTINA LINE-UP: Marcelo Barovero; Gino Peruzzi, Ezequiel Garay, Nicolás Otamendi (Mateo Musacchio 66), Marcos Rojo; Pablo Zabaleta; Enzo Pérez, Ángel Di María (Roberto Pereyra 61); Lionel Messi ©, Erik Lamela; Sergio Agüero (Gonzalo Higuaín 45).

REFEREE: Enrique Osses (Chile).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Lionel Messi (Argentina).

[CFuller]

Quarter Finals, Leg 2 Results

25 June 2016

Ukraine vs Portugal - at NSC Olympiyskyi, Kiev

Andriy Pyatov was back in goal for Ukraine following their 3-0 defeat in the first leg. It wouldn't be long before Pyatov faced his first test, as he pushed behind a shot from Portugal's attacking midfielder Bernardo Silva after just 84 seconds. Portugal's next attempt wasn't quite so threatening, as Nani blazed it over from long range in the seventh minute. Two minutes later, Portuguese defender Daniel Carriço made a couple of determined blocks from successive shots by Ukrainian midfielders Eugene Konoplyanka and Ruslan Rotan. Sergiy Rybalka also had a pop at goal for the Yellow-Blue in the 14th minute, although he couldn't prevent the ball from sailing over the bar. The first half remained closely fought, with Pyatov saving from Portuguese ace Cristiano Ronaldo on 19 minutes before Selecção keeper Rui Patrício caught Eugene Seleznyov's header two minutes later. The next Ukrainian player to trouble Rui Patrício was Brazilian-born right-back Danilo Silva, whose 31st-minute header was plucked out of the air by the Sporting CP custodian. Play then switched back and forth before the deadlock was broken on 39 minutes. Silva's close-range finish sent A Selecção 4-0 up on aggregate, and that lead would be increased further on the stroke of half-time. An injury-time free-kick from Mário Rui found João Moutinho at the back post, and the Monaco midfielder's strike left Ukraine with a seemingly impossible task. The Yellow-Blue needed to score SIX goals in the second half to stay alive.

 

Needless to say, Ukraine did not get particularly close to mounting what would've been an astonishing comeback. Yaroslav Rakitskyi's free-kick in the 50th minute went close to finding the target, but the Ukrainians would soon find themselves back on the defensive. Pyatov caught a 54th-minute header from Portuguese defender William Carvalho and then nervously watched on as Ronaldo hit his side netting two minutes later. Ronaldo would not get his name into the scoresheet in this match, with his best chance arguably coming when he blasted a free-kick inches over the bar on 66 minutes. That free-kick came about after a foul from Roman Zozulya, who was one of four Yellow-Blue players to receive bookings in the second period. After 82 minutes, Zozulya was sent through on goal by Sergiy Sydorchuk and had a decent opportunity to claim a consolation goal for Ukraine. Danilo Pereira stopped Zozulya in his track with a vital tackle, but Portugal's clean sheet would be dirtied in the 88th minute. Seleznyov's superb volley from Konoplyanka's free-kick ensured that Ukraine signed off on a scoring note. Nothing could dampen Portugal's spirits, though, as they were heading through to the World Championship Semi Finals.

 

Ukraine - 1 (Eugene Seleznyov 88)

Portugal - 2 (Bernardo Silva 39, João Moutinho 45)

[Portugal win 5-1 on aggregate]

UKRAINE LINE-UP: Andriy Pyatov; Danilo Silva, Erik Sviatchenko, Eugene Khacheridi, Yaroslav Rakitskyi; Ruslan Rotan © (Sergiy Sydorchuk 45), Sergiy Rybalka; Andriy Yarmolenko (Roman Zozulya 56), Vitaliy Buyalskyi (Victor Kovalenko 56), Eugene Konoplyanka; Eugene Seleznyov. BOOKED: Rybalka 7, Sviatchenko 53, Rakitskyi 58, Zozulya 66, Silva 73.

PORTUGAL LINE-UP: Rui Patrício; Vierinha, Daniel Carriço (Rúben Neves 61), William Carvalho, Mário Rui; Danilo Pereira; João Moutinho (Adrien 56), André Gomes; Bernardo Silva (Ivan Cavaleiro 61), Nani; Cristiano Ronaldo ©. BOOKED: Pereira 8.

REFEREE: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Eugene Konoplyanka (Ukraine).

 

Greece vs Austria - at Georgios Karaiskakis, Piraeus

Austria's hopes of bolstering their 2-0 lead took a dent in the second minute. Captain Christian Fuchs strained his calf in an off-the-ball collision with Greece winger Ioannis Fetfatzidis and was badly hampered for the rest of his game. In spite of that, the Burschen continued to burst forward, and they almost burst the Greek net open in the 17th minute. Robert Gucher sent a crossfield ball to Marko Arnautovic, who attempted a spectacular half-volley that unluckily flew over the crossbar. A minute later, Austrian midfielder Zlatko Junuzovic was booked following a trip on Greece's Andreas Samaris. Austria's talisman David Alaba would later join Junuzovic in the referee's book, but not before Martin Harnik put a couple of shots wide. Greece also showed some bite in the 40th minute, when centre-back Kostas Manolas upended visiting striker Marcel Sabitzer. The Galanolefki demonstrated some aggression of a different kind two minutes later. Fetfatzidis used his pace to get past Austria right-back Florian Klein before crossing to Kostas Fortounis, whose header went over the crossbar. Though the Greeks remained two goals down at the interval, they had at least shown that they were capable of getting back into the game.

 

José Holebas attempted a volley for Greece early in the second half, though Austria goalkeeper Cican Stankovic was equal to his effort. Panagiotis Tachtsidis' strike in the 49th minute was rather less threatening as far as Stankovic was concerned. Six minutes later, the referee brought out his yellow card for a fourth time, cautioning Greek defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos for upending Harnik. Greece continued to attack in the 64th minute, when Tachtsidis struck another half-volley that did at least force Stankovic into a save. That would turn out to be the Greeks' last shot on target in the tie, and indeed the competition. A long-range miss from Kostas Mitroglou on 66 minutes and another disappointing effort from Tasos Bakasetas six minutes from the end was the best they could manage thereafter. Austria's second-leg performance was arguably even more abject than the Galanolefki, as they failed to seriously test goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis even once. Nevertheless, that victory from the first leg had proven enough to take the Austrians into the final four. That was the good news for Marcel Koller's charges... but the bad news came later on, when captain Fuchs was ruled out of the rest of the tournament with his calf injury.

 

Greece - 0

Austria - 0

[Austria win 2-0 on aggregate]

GREECE LINE-UP: Orestis Karnezis; Vasilis Torosidis ©, Kostas Manolas, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Kostas Stafylidis; Ioannis Fetfatzidis, Andreas Samaris (Christos Donis 56), Panagiotis Tachtsidis, José Holebas (Kyriakos Kivrakidis 51); Kostas Fortounis (Tasos Bakasetas 56); Kostas Mitroglou. BOOKED: Manolas 40, Papastathopoulos 55.

AUSTRIA LINE-UP: Cican Stankovic; Florian Klein, Martin Hinteregger (Stipe Vucur 62), Aleksandar Dragovic, David Alaba; Robert Gucher, Zlatko Junuzovic; Marko Arnautovic, Christian Fuchs © (Guido Burgstaller 62); Martin Harnik (Andi Weimann 68), Marcel Sabitzer. BOOKED: Junuzovic 18, Alaba 30.

REFEREE: Sandro Meira Ricci (Brazil).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Vasilis Torosidis (Greece).

[CFuller]

Quarter Finals, Leg 2 Results

26 June 2016

Algeria vs England - at Stade Olympique du 5 Juillet, Algiers

Only eight second-leg minutes were needed for England to repair the damage they had sustained in the first leg. It was a landmark moment for Wayne Rooney, who headed in his belated record-equalling 49th goal for England from a fantastic cross by Theo Walcott. In the 15th minute, captain Rooney turned provider for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who sent a half-volley wide, albeit from a difficult angle. Manchester United legend Rooney continued to spur the Three Lions on, although a couple of weak strikes in the 26th and 29th minutes failed to put them in front on aggregate. After sucking up England's early attacks, Algeria summoned up the energy to go forward themselves in the 34th minute. Saphir Taïder exchanged a string of passes with Djamel Abdoun before switching the ball to Nabil Bentaleb in the centre. Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Bentaleb then found Islam Slimani, whose shot whistled past England goalkeeper Jack Butland and sent the home fans wild. A major shock was back on the cards, and when the half-time whistle blew, the Three Lions knew that they really had to up their game.

 

England boss Roy Hodgson showed his intent by replacing the out-of-sorts Raheem Sterling with Jack Wilshere during the break. Wilshere had an early chance to make himself an English hero in the 47th minute, but his strike drifted off target. Less than a minute later, the Three Lions found themselves in a full-blown crisis. Right-back Eric Dier's slide tackle on Abdoun succeeded only in diverting the ball on to Abdelmoumene Djabou, who followed up his first-leg winner with a simple finish that put the Fennecs ahead in the second leg as well! England now really needed their captain to come to the fore and save them from disaster. Rooney sensed his moment in the 51st minute, when he met Luke Shaw's cross with a header... and rattled the crossbar. Things would only get worse for the Three Lions over the next three minutes, as two of their midfielders picked up injuries. Wilshere was able to play on after hurting his foot in a tackle from Bentaleb, but Jordan Henderson was not so fortunate. Walid Mesloub went in hard on Henderson in the 54th minute, leaving the Liverpool skipper with an ankle sprain that would've ruled him out for the rest of the tournament had England gone any further. Algeria's returning goalkeeper Azzedine Doukha looked to make sure that England's run would end in Algiers with a couple of excellent saves later in the half. Substitute midfielder Danny Drinkwater was denied by the Fennecs goalie in the 63rd minute, as was Walcott twice in quick succession in the 75th minute. England's flagging hopes were raised after 80 minutes, when Algerian defender Mehdi Jean Tahrat collided with his colleague Bentaleb as both men jumped up to try and meet a Wilshere corner. Jean Tahrat came off worse, dislocating his shoulder. That injury left Algeria a man light for the closing stages, but the Three Lions couldn't take advantage. Defeats in both legs meant that England's years of hurt would increase beyond 50, while Algeria became the first African nation to reach the Semi Finals of football's premier global competition.

 

Algeria - 2 (Islam Slimani 34, Abdelmoumene Djabou 48)

England - 1 (Wayne Rooney 8)

[Algeria win 3-1 on aggregate]

ALGERIA LINE-UP: Azzedine Doukha; Nacereddine Khoualed ©, Liassine Cadamuro, Mehdi Jean Tahrat, Faouzi Ghoulam (Brahim Boudebouda 55); Djamel Abdoun (Abderrahmane Hachoud 60), Saphir Taïder (Walid Mesloub 45), Nabil Bentaleb, Nabil Ghilas; Islam Slimani, Abdelmoumene Djabou. BOOKED: Ghilas 30, Abdoun 45, Khoualed 66.

ENGLAND LINE-UP: Jack Butland; Eric Dier, John Stones, Phil Jagielka, Luke Shaw; Jordan Henderson (Ross Barkley 55), James Milner (Danny Drinkwater 48); Theo Walcott, Raheem Sterling (Jack Wilshere 45), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain; Wayne Rooney ©. BOOKED: Barkley 56.

REFEREE: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Theo Walcott (England).

 

Argentina vs Croatia - at Antonio Vespucci Liberti, Buenos Aires

Argentina pressured Croatia early on in the second leg as they looked to bolster a slender 1-0 lead. Pablo Zabaleta's cross into the Croatian box in the second minute was met by a clearance from Vatreni skipper Vedran Corluka, who was deputising for the injured Ivan Rakitic. Argentine midfielder Enzo Pérez, who scored the only goal of the first leg, met Corluka's clearance with a volley that rattled the upright. There was some more brave Croatian defending in the fifth minute, when Marcelo Brozovic charged down a shot from Roberto Pereyra. The visitors would soon get rather carried away, as Sime Vrsaljko and Luka Modric both went into the book following mistimed challenges. On the attacking front, Croatia's first real chance to equalise came when Mario Mandzukic nodded a cross from Ivan Perisic over in the 19th minute. Corluka went rather closer six minutes later, as his headed connection to Modric's corner was brilliantly tipped behind by Argentina goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero. The River Plate keeper made another vital stop on 27 minutes, as he blocked Mandzukic's path after the latter had been played through by Mateo Kovacic. It was looking increasingly likely that the Vatreni would draw level... but one clumsy tackle from left-back Ivan Strinic on Zabaleta in the 39th minute gave Argentina the opportunity to go 2-0 up from the penalty spot. Messi took the spot-kick... and Subasic made a fantastic save that had almost certainly kept Croatia alive, but for how much longer?

 

Croatia's next great opportunity to level came five minutes into the second half. Kovacic crossed a free-kick into the area, and substitute striker Andrej Kramaric powered forward a header that was superbly caught by Barovero. Another golden opportunity for the Vatreni emerged in the 58th minute, when Ivo Ilicevic knocked the ball beyond Argentine defender Nicolás Otamendi and towards Brozovic. The Inter Milan midfielder simply had to beat Barovero, but his shot only found the side netting. Argentina were also badly lacking in the finishing department. Space opened up for Ángel Di María in the 68th minute, but a disappointing shot drifted wide. Two minutes later, La Albiceleste were given their biggest fright yet. Ilicevic's free-kick into the Argentine box was nodded goalwards by Kramaric. Barovero just about parried the header away, and then retrieved the ball at the second attempt just before it could be tucked into the net by any one of three Croatians who were charging towards him. Argentina were living dangerously, and when left-back Marcos Rojo picked up his second yellow card of the second half after 82 minutes, La Albiceleste were left to defend a fragile lead with only 10 men. The Argentines' hearts were in their mouths when Strinic let fly on the half-volley two minutes from full-time. Much to their relief, the ball flew narrowly wide. Although the hosts' run of winning every game in this World Championship was over, their competition clean sheet was still intact, as was - more importantly - their dream of winning football's new biggest prize.

 

Argentina - 0

Croatia - 0

[Argentina win 1-0 on aggregate]

ARGENTINA LINE-UP: Marcelo Barovero; Pablo Zabaleta (Gino Peruzzi 60), Mateo Musacchio, Nicolás Otamendi, Marcos Rojo; Javier Mascherano; Roberto Pereyra (Augusto Fernández 60), Enzo Pérez; Lionel Messi © (Nicolás Gaitán 60), Ángel Di María; Sergio Agüero. BOOKED: Rojo 50, Pérez 63, Mascherano 70. SENT OFF: Rojo 82.

CROATIA LINE-UP: Danijel Subasic; Sime Vrsaljko, Vedran Corluka ©, Dejan Lovren, Ivan Strinic; Luka Modric (Milan Badelj 45), Marcelo Brozovic; Ivo Ilicevic, Mateo Kovacic, Ivan Perisic (Duje Cop 61); Mario Mandzukic (Andrej Kramaric 45). BOOKED: Vrsaljko 7, Modric 12, Lovren 34, Brozovic 52, Badelj 90.

REFEREE: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Ángel Di María (Argentina).

[CFuller]

Bambini Under Fire

As the 2016 FIFA World Championship reached its final week, the four remaining teams - Algeria, Argentina, Austria and Portugal - arrived in Paris and began their preparations for the Semi Finals.

 

Everyone that was anyone in global football descended on France's capital for the last three games of the inaugural World Championship. However, the architect of that new competition - FIFA President Gio Bambini - was noticeably absent.

 

Back in the middle of June, Russian match-fixer Ruslan Sayfutdinov was formally charged over the murder of Marco Sepe. As part of a plea bargain deal with Interpol, Sayfutdinov implicated Bambini in a plot to bribe a World Championship Round 5 match in Russia's favour. Sayfutdinov claimed that Bambini had employed Sepe to bribe South African players and officials in advance of their away leg against the Russians in Moscow.

 

This alleged match-fixing plot had been big news for around two months, since South African whistleblower Yolandi Veltman revealed to BuzzFeed UK that her colleagues had been offered bungs to jeopardise their hopes of progressing to the finals phase. Although the plot failed, Russia won the tie, and there had been question marks over the legitimacy of the result ever since.

 

At the time of her first public interview, Veltman subtly hinted that Bambini may have had some involvement. Bambini later scoffed at Veltman's allegations, as well as claims by a British newspaper that he and Sepe - who died in April - were in a relationship. They were old friends from university, he admitted, but nothing more.

 

Now, though, Sayfutdinov's revelations appeared to give credence to those who'd suspected - and feared - that Bambini was not being completely upfront about Moscow.

 

After Sayfutdinov was charged, more allegations of possible match-fixing in the early rounds of the World Championship came to light. Firstly, Welsh referee John Roberts claimed that he'd been "asked" to award major decisions in Qatar's favour prior to their Round 2 Leg 1 match in French Guiana, and then again before the Qataris hosted Saudi Arabia in the first leg of Round 3.

 

Roberts' allegations caused particular alarm for Saudi Arabia, who had gone from 1-0 up to 2-1 down after conceding goals in the 88th minute and in the third minute of injury time. The Saudis went on to win the return leg before beating Qatar in a penalty shoot-out to progress to Round 4, but they still felt a sense of injustice. Ahmad Al-Harbi - the President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation - demanded an immediate investigation.

 

Meanwhile, an anonymous Uzbekistan player alleged that he and his colleagues were intimidated, and threatened with violence, on the eve of their Round 4 Leg 2 clash in Cameroon. The White Wolves lost 1-0, but they scraped through to the next round on penalties and had to be given a police escort out of Yaoundé.

 

FIFA tried to ignore what was described in-house as "complete speculation and fabrication", but a number of amateur 'sleuths' found what they saw as a 'link' between the three nations that would've been the beneficiaries of any successful corruption.

 

Russia were awarded the 2018 World Championship Final as 'compensation' for that year's World Cup being scrapped. The Russian government initially refused to host the new World Championship but later changed their mind.

 

The latter stages of the 2019 World Championship were awarded to Qatar, whose dream of staging the 2022 World Cup had also been dashed following Bambini's election as FIFA President. Although initially reluctant to stage the 2019 Final in the summer, the Qataris eventually agreed to do so.

 

And who had been chosen to host the Semi Finals and Final of the 2020 World Championship? Cameroon, of course. That tournament was given to them in order to compensate for the cancellation of 2019's Africa Cup of Nations.

 

Russia, Qatar and Cameroon had all been effectively reimbursed for the cancellations of tournaments they had been due to host under the old FIFA regime - and all needed some persuading before agreeing to the compromises. The question some people were asking was this - did FIFA's 'persuading' go as far as to promise them that their national teams would go deep into the World Championship in 2016, and possibly even 2017 as well?

 

It is perhaps worth pointing out that any 'promises' that may or may not have been made by FIFA were not strongly adhered to. Cameroon were knocked out in the first round that they entered, Qatar in their second, and Russia in their third. It couldn't really be said that anyone at FIFA had helped their teams off the pitch to surpass expectations on it.

 

However, all that was beside the point. At least four separate matches were allegedly subjected to match-fixing attempts. The South African whistleblower, the Welsh referee and the Uzbek player couldn't ALL be lying, could they?

 

As suspicion on the World Championship grew, so too did the pressure on FIFA to act. Eventually, the governing body's Ethics Committee decided to take matters into its own hands.

 

Cornel Borbely, the new chair of the Ethics Committee's investigatory arm, announced the launch of an extensive investigation into the World Championship match-fixing claims, and also into the conduct of President Gio Bambini. The Swiss-Italian was provisionally suspended from his post, and Issa Hayatou - as the longest-serving Vice President on FIFA's Executive Committee - was appointed as Acting President.

 

Borbely's announcement was made on a rather appropriate day to bury bad news. It was the afternoon of 24 June, when the news agenda was dominated by the result of the landmark referendum on the United Kingdom's European Union membership. The British electorate had voted to leave the EU, and it seemed that Bambini would perhaps be departing his own major organisation, in arguably even more acrimonious circumstances.

 

On 27 June, as the furore over 'Brexit' died down and the World Championship Semi Finals drew nearer, Bambini spoke in public for the first time since his suspension from FIFA. It was not in Paris, nor in his office in Zurich, but at a hotel in the southern Swiss town of Brig-Glis - just a few miles west of his hometown Termen.

 

Having retreated away from the global spotlight for the weekend, Bambini hastily arranged to speak to the press on Monday afternoon.

 

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began. "I feel now is the right time to tell you the truth about Marco Sepe and myself.

 

"I had the honour of knowing this great man for 23 years, not only as a friend and colleague... but also as a life partner. Until earlier this year, Marco and I had been in a sexual relationship, on-and-off, for the best part of two decades."

 

Bambini's voice started to crack as he continued, "I loved Marco very deeply, and his sudden death two months ago came as a complete shock to me. Even today, I still struggle to come to terms with the fact that he is gone. That is why I have come here to Brig - the town where he was born - to seek solace, and also to seek closure.

 

"On a professional level, I should make it very clear that Marco Sepe was never employed by FIFA - or any other governing body for that matter - in any capacity, let alone to corrupt football matches. He was an honourable man, and I will not stop at anything to ensure that his name is not sullied by these horrific and groundless accusations.

 

"Now that I have told you all that I wanted to, I would now like to ask you to turn your attentions back to the three exciting football matches in Saint-Denis later this week, and to let me grieve in peace. Thank you for your co-operation and your understanding."

[CFuller]

Semi Finals Preview

The wait to crown the first ever winner of the new FIFA World Championship was nearly over. The elite eight from the Quarter Finals had been whittled down to a final four - two from Europe, and one each from Africa and South America - who would battle on as the World Championship entered its deciding week.

 

The days of gruelling home-and-away legs and potentially long flights were gone. Now, all roads led to the Stade de France, in the northern Parisian commune of Saint-Denis, where a new world champion would shortly be crowned.

 

To the disappointment of home fans, France had not qualified for the Semi Finals. They were among several big-name teams who had crashed out of the competition earlier than expected. Indeed, of the eight nations that had previously lifted the old FIFA World Cup, only one remained in contention for FIFA's new major global title.

 

The only former world champions who were still in the running were Argentina, who lifted the World Cup on home soil in 1978, and then again in Mexico eight years later. They also finished runners-up in 1990 and 2014, losing to Germany on both occasions. Fortunately, for La Albiceleste, the Germans had already been taken care of.

 

As the highest-ranked team in the FIFA World Rankings, and ergo the number 1 seeds, before the tournament started, Argentina were understandably seen as favourites to lift the João Havelange Trophy. They had launched a strong challenge, winning seven matches in a row before Croatia held them to a draw in the second leg of their Quarter Final. The Croats' defiance had been in vain, though, as La Albiceleste maintained their proud record of not conceding a goal in the World Championship.

 

The Argentines' excellent defensive record was particularly surprising, given their goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero's lack of international experience. The 31-year-old from River Plate was certainly a competent custodian, but he'd never played club football outside of Argentina and hadn't even been in the Albiceleste reckoning until regular number 1 Sergio Romero publicly fell out with head coach Gerardo Martino. Barovero got his chance, and he ran away with it.

 

At his first press conference in Paris before Argentina played in their Semi Final, Martino said, "I knew Marcelo very well from the Argentinean leagues, and he has always been one of the most reliable goalkeepers in the league. He should have been considered for national selection a long time ago.

 

"Everybody wants to talk about [Lionel] Messi or [Sergio] Agüero, but we are more than just superstars. We have a tight defence as well as a strong attack, and if we can stay calm, we will be incredibly difficult to beat."

 

Standing between them and a place in the Final was the lowest-ranked team left in the competition. Algeria had caused massive shockwaves by eliminating fourth seeds Colombia in Round 7, and then fifth seeds England in the Quarter Finals, to become the first African team to reach the last four of international football's showpiece event.

 

The main reason behind the Fennecs' unlikely success story was a tremendous camaraderie and an incredible work ethic. Most of their 23-man squad had been brought up as the sons of Algerian immigrants in the suburbs of major French cities, particularly Paris.

 

Among the proud Parisians in the Algerian line-up was versatile winger Riyad Mahrez. He was brought up in Sarcelles - about half an hour's drive from the Stade de France - and tragically lost his father to a heart attack while still a teenager.

 

Mahrez then battled through the French lower leagues, going from his hometown club to Quimper and then Le Havre, before being signed by English Championship side Leicester City in 2014. The Foxes won promotion to the Premier League shortly afterwards, and two years later, they were firmly established in the top flight.

 

The 25-year-old said of Algeria's run to the World Championship semis, "Everybody said we would lose to Colombia, or that we would lose to England, but we are still here and still fighting. Football is a team sport, and we have shown that, even if you don't have the best players, you can beat anyone if you work very well as a team."

 

Argentina and Algeria would come face-to-face on 30 June. 24 hours before then, though, the stage would be set for two European 'dark horses' to battle it out for a place in the Final.

 

Portugal were seeded 6th - one place higher than their opponents - and boasted one of football's outstanding talents in Cristiano Ronaldo. Of course, though, for all the Real Madrid phenomenon's brilliance, he would be nothing without a team with enough quality to support him - and A Selecção had quality in bucketloads.

 

One of the star performers in the earlier rounds was a 21-year-old midfielder seen by many as someone who could be Portugal's creator-in-chief for at least the next decade. Bernardo Silva had already made two big-money moves at such a tender age - to mega-rich Monaco in January 2015, and then the even wealthier Paris Saint-Germain 12 months later. After stamping his mark on French football, Silva was now taking the World Championship by storm.

 

Despite picking up a calf strain in Portugal's first match of the finals phase in Mexico, Silva was back in business by the Quarter Final stage. A superb creative performance at home to Ukraine was followed up by a goalscoring contribution in Kiev as the Selecção starlet came to prominence.

 

Another Portuguese player who had impressed the pundits was Silva's former Monaco team-mate João Moutinho. At 29 years of age, and with 91 international caps on his CV, the midfielder already had a vast array of experience with A Selecção. Nevertheless, it was quite easy to forget about Moutinho's contributions, but his consistent performances in the World Championship were finally earning him the international adulation his talent had merited.

 

Moutinho said of his team, "This squad has a perfect mix of experienced players and young players - really exceptional young players like Bernardo and Rúben Neves. This is a fantastic opportunity to win the World Championship, and if we can do that, then there's no reason why we cannot win another before the generation of Cristiano and myself hands the baton over to the younger generation."

 

Another team who could claim to have a good mixture of fresh talent and wiser heads was Austria, who only needed to beat Portugal to reach their first major Final. Since finishing 3rd at the 1954 FIFA World Cup in neighbouring Switzerland, they had never even been beyond the second round of a big tournament - until now.

 

The Austrians were unlikely to have much in the way of home support in Paris. After all, it was they who had dismissed France from the competition in Round 7, thus locking the hosts out of their own party.

 

Austria coach Marcel Koller could claim to have at least two outstanding players in his team. One of them was David Alaba - the versatile and consistently brilliant left-footer who plied his trade for Arsenal. The other was also a Premier League player, albeit rather more erratic in terms of his temperament and his performances. That man was Stoke City's right-winger, Marko Arnautovic.

 

Prior to the Semi Final, Arnautovic issued a passionate rally cry to his team, declaring, "We have beaten the Americans, the French, and the Greeks. Now it is up to us to show that we really are among the best teams in the world.

 

"We obviously know that we have the abilities required to beat Portugal. We are very solid defensively, and we can be very strong when going forward. If Portugal lose their focus for one minute, we will be ready to strike."

 

SEMI FINALS: 29 June 2016

Portugal                             vs      Austria                             

SEMI FINALS: 30 June 2016

Argentina                            vs      Algeria                             

[CFuller]

Semi Final 1 - Portugal vs Austria

29 June 2016

Portugal manager Fernando Santos made significant changes to his defence before the Semi Final, replacing three-quarters of the back four that had played through the Quarter Final second leg against Ukraine. Youngster William Carvalho was the only defender to keep his place, while another change in personnel came in midfield, where Adrien replaced André Gomes. Adrien was one of three Selecção players - the others being João Cancelo and Danilo Pereira - who were on yellow cards and would be suspended from the Final if they were booked here.

 

While Portugal had shaken up their defence, it was Austria's midfield that was subjected to a makeover by Marcel Koller. Captain Christian Fuchs was out for the rest of the competition with a calf strain, and Robert Gucher was dropped to the bench, leading to starting opportunities for youngster Alessandro Schöpf and the more experienced Julian Baumgartlinger. Were any of David Alaba, Marko Arnautovic, Raphaël Holzhauser and/or Zlatko Junuzovic to receive yellow cards in this match, they would be guaranteed to miss the Final if the Burschen got there.

 

Portugal vs Austria - at Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Despite their underdog status, Austria made a positive start to this match. In the third minute, Zlatko Junuzovic cut the ball back to Alessandro Schöpf, whose half-volley drifted wide of goal. Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patrício was given a bit more bother in the seventh minute, when he frantically pushed behind a left-wing cross from Marko Arnautovic. At the Austrian end of the pitch, defender Aleksandar Dragovic made a couple of determined blocks early on to prevent Portuguese captain Cristiano Ronaldo from putting his team ahead. Things then got scrappy for a little while, as both teams had a defender booked - Fábio Coentrão for A Selecção, and Martin Hinteregger for the Burschen. After that, Portugal's greater class started to show. Ronaldo had their first shot on target in the 19th minute, but goalkeeper Cican Stankovic superbly pushed it wide before Austrian talisman David Alaba cleared a follow-up cross from Nani. Nani would himself get close to scoring on 23 minutes before Stankovic made another fine save from Ronaldo six minutes later. In the 32nd minute, Ronaldo skilfully surged past Dragovic and blasted a promising effort inches wide. The Real Madrid ace was then caught offside a couple of times as Portugal were unable to turn their first-half dominance into anything more substantial.

 

Portugal manager Fernando Santos appeared more desperate than his Austrian counterpart Marcel Koller, as he used up all three of his substitutions by the 55th minute - before Koller had even made his first change. It was Austria who actually had the best chance to score early in the second half. Schöpf's angled effort on 47 minutes was palmed behind by Rui Patrício. Nani and Ronaldo then missed further chances for Portugal, but while A Selecção's star forwards were underperforming, one of Santos' subs would soon make up for that. After 66 minutes, Ivan Cavaleiro leapt up above Austria midfielder Guido Burgstaller to get his head onto a Bernardo Silva cross and flick it beyond Stankovic. Portugal's persistence had paid off, and the Final was in their sights. Five minutes after Cavaleiro's opener, Silva set up a potential chance for Adrien to drill A Selecção into a two-goal lead. Stankovic just about did enough to push Adrien's shot behind his post. Austria then put more emphasis on attack as they sought to prolong their excellent run. They thought they were going to break through when Schöpf's deep cross found Florian Grillitsch in the penalty area on 79 minutes... but the Werder Bremen youngster was flagged offside. Grillitsch wouldn't have scored anyway, as Portuguese right-back João Cancelo had made an excellent intercepting tackle. More brave Portuguese defending was on show when William Carvalho got in the way of an Austrian half-volley from Martin Harnik after 84 minutes. Harnik would create the Burschen's final chance in injury time, but his byline cross was nodded wide by Burgstaller. Austria had come to the end of the road, but Portugal were now 90 minutes away from a long-awaited title! Were Ronaldo's 13 years of international hurt about to come to an end?

 

FINAL SCORE:

Portugal - 1 (Ivan Cavaleiro 66)

Austria - 0

 

PORTUGAL LINE-UP (4-1-2-2-1) & MATCH RATINGS:

13. Rui Patrício (6.9)

It was a quiet evening for Rui Patrício, who only had to make a single save all game - from Schöpf early in the second half. He organised his defence very well, leaving Austria little space to exploit.

20. João Cancelo (7.4)

Cancelo showed in this performance just why many rated him among the best young right-backs in Europe. His crossing was excellent and gave the opposition plenty to think about.

14. William Carvalho (6.9)

Carvalho was naturally a defensive midfielder, so it wasn't too surprising that he didn't look completely comfortable at centre-half. His ball distribution was poor, but - importantly - he kept other mistakes to a minimum.

22. Paulo Oliveira (7.3)

The main source of Austria's frustration was Oliveira, who made a number of excellent interceptions to thwart their attacks. He was also a very strong presence in the air, winning a large percentage of his headers.

3. Fábio Coentrão (7.1) - BOOKED (14 min)

Although he was booked early on, this was a solid performance from left-back Coentrão. He may not have been able to penetrate the Austria defence with his crosses, but he carried out his defensive duties well.

4. Danilo Pereira (6.6)

It would be fair to say that Pereira didn't look anywhere near his best here. He gave the ball away rather too often in the first half, and that was perhaps why he was substituted at half-time.

16. João Moutinho (6.5)

Moutinho was Portugal's pass master again and certainly did not have a terrible game. However, a lack of creativity stifled A Selecção, and his departure early in the second half would help them.

6. Adrien (8.2)

Adrien enjoyed an excellent match as Portugal's midfield enforcer. He flew in with some superb tackles and prevented the opposition from making much impact in the middle of the park.

8. Bernardo Silva (9.0 - MAN OF THE MATCH)

Silva was the young magician of his team and hardly put a foot wrong all game. It was he who finally unlocked a stubborn Austrian defence with a sublime cross that was headed home by Cavaleiro.

18. Nani (6.8)

Nani had blown hot and cold at the World Championship thus far, but this performance was rather lukewarm. He couldn't really break through the Austrian backline before making way for the match-winner.

7. Cristiano Ronaldo © (6.7)

This was one of captain Ronaldo's quieter displays for Portugal. Although he won a lot of headers and got a couple of shots on target, he was worryingly caught offside on three occasions.

 

SUBSTITUTES:

12. Rúben Neves (6.7) - replaced Pereira (45 min)

Neves' job for the second half was to keep things tight in midfield for Portugal. With some pinpoint passing, the 19-year-old carried out that task with maturity way beyond his years.

9. Ivan Cavaleiro (7.0) - replaced Nani (53 min)

Cavaleiro proved to be Portugal's super-sub. His passing after coming on was very good, but it was a superb header from Silva's cross that his cameo would be remembered for.

19. André Gomes (7.0) - replaced Moutinho (55 min)

Gomes came on at a time where Portugal's attack was perhaps starting to wither. The Valencia playmaker changed all that, giving A Selecção some much-needed energy when going forward.

 

AUSTRIA LINE-UP (4-2-2-2) & MATCH RATINGS:

1. Cican Stankovic (6.8)

Stankovic had only been an international goalkeeper for less than a year, and that showed in this game. Though he made four decent saves, he could've done rather more to keep out the eventual winning goal.

17. Florian Klein (7.1)

Right-back Klein was perhaps the star performer among Austria's defenders. He used all his experience to hold off Nani in the first half and continued to do a solid job in the second period.

5. Martin Hinteregger (6.4) - BOOKED (16 min)

Young ball-playing defender Hinteregger was rather disappointing, in truth. He made a handful of errors in this game and was booked in the 16th minute after tripping Nani.

12. Aleksandar Dragovic (6.7)

If anyone was at fault for Portugal's goal, it was probably Dragovic. He was playing alright until he failed to intercept Cavaleiro's decisive header, leading to his substitution almost immediately afterwards.

4. David Alaba (6.9)

Austria relied so much upon their main man, but Alaba didn't produce the goods as often as he would've liked. Though his tackling and his interceptions were excellent, he did very little going forward.

8. Zlatko Junuzovic (7.4)

Junuzovic was arguably the best Austrian player on the park. No other player on either side completed more passes than him, and his set-pieces provided the Burschen with some decent opportunities.

19. Julian Baumgartlinger © (7.0)

Baumgartlinger was deputising as Burschen captain for the injured Christian Fuchs, and he coped well with the added pressure. The midfield aggressor helped to prevent Portugal from rolling over the Austrians.

16. Alessandro Schöpf (6.9)

Schöpf provided Austria with their only shot on target and was perhaps their most dangerous attacker. He was very disappointed, though, to only complete one of his 15 attempted crosses from the right flank.

10. Marko Arnautovic (6.8)

Arnautovic had a tendency to disappear in games, and this was a case in point. He provided very little threat to the Portugal defence before being taken off early in the second period.

15. Martin Harnik (6.6)

Having Harnik as the more deep-lying forward in Austria's frontline was perhaps a mistake. Portugal's defenders comfortably beat him to a lot of headers and didn't allow him a single shot at goal.

7. Marcel Sabitzer (6.4)

Thanks to a rock-solid Portuguese rearguard, Sabitzer came off after just over an hour having barely touched the ball. The usually hard-working youngster looked uncharacteristically slack up front.

 

SUBSTITUTES:

20. Guido Burgstaller (6.8) - replaced Arnautovic (56 min)

Burgstaller's performance after coming on was decent, though one moment would stick in his mind for a long time. After all, it was he whom Cavaleiro leapt above to head in the winning goal.

6. Florian Grillitsch (6.6) - replaced Sabitzer (62 min)

Bringing on attacking midfielder Grillitsch for striker Sabitzer did nothing to boost the Austrian offence. The performance of the youngest player in the Burschen squad was negligible at best.

22. Stipe Vucur (6.8) - replaced Dragovic (67 min)

Vucur came on after the decisive goal and did at least help to prevent Portugal from scoring more. The 24-year-old showed plenty of promise by winning a number of headers when under pressure.

 

REFEREE: Matthew Conger (New Zealand).

[oche balboa]

What a brilliant story, loved the idea and the actual match reports. 

 

I know  seeding is the best idea but it would have been fun to have an all in 128. And seen what the ties would have been

Top story and I knew England would blow it and I feel Argentina will win this 

[CFuller]

1 minute ago, oche balboa said:

What a brilliant story, loved the idea and the actual match reports. 

 

I know  seeding is the best idea but it would have been fun to have an all in 128. And seen what the ties would have been

Top story and I knew England would blow it and I feel Argentina will win this 

Thanks for reading as always, Oche. We're almost near the end - just the second Semi Final, the Final, and the wrapping-up of the side-stories to go, and that'll be that!

The 128-team bracket idea would be fun, and it's something I might explore in the future. I wouldn't feel too easy about shutting out the other 90 or so teams, so there might be some pre-qualifying before the main tournament if I ever make anything more out of that idea.

How typical of England to choke before the business end... and to Algeria as well! That said, it was rather unrealistic that they even got to the Quarter Finals. I'll have a word with SI about that. 

Argentina have been my tips to win since Germany crashed out... but Algeria could yet spoil it for them as well. Keep your eyes peeled, because the second Semi will be with you very shortly.

[CFuller]

Semi Final 2 - Argentina vs Algeria

30 June 2016

Gerardo Martino made five changes to the Argentina from their last game against Croatia. One of them was enforced, as Marcos Rojo was serving a suspension. Javier Mascherano, Enzo Pérez and Pablo Zabaleta were all at risk of being banned from the Final if they got booked in the Semi Final. Defenders Walter Kannemann and Nicolás Tagliafico were both guaranteed to play no further part in the tournament due to injury, though La Albiceleste were hopeful that Augusto Fernández would recover from a bruised shin in time for a possible Final.

 

Fresh from a shock win over England, Christian Gourcuff made no fewer than four changes to Algeria's starting XI before the Semi Final. Two of his regular defenders were unavailable, as Mehdi Jean Tahrat had dislocated his shoulder and Nacereddine Khoualed was banned. Haris Belkebla and Sofiane Feghouli would, like Tahrat, be out with injuries for what remained of the Fennecs' tournament. Captain Aïssa Mandi and left-back Brahim Boudebouda, who both came into the side, were among seven Algerians who were on yellow cards and risking possible suspensions.

 

Argentina vs Algeria - at Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Keen not to avoid the same fate as rivals Colombia and England, Argentina made a flying start in a bid to catch Algeria off their guard. A majestic backheel from Ángel Di María in the second minute found Gonzalo Higuaín in the penalty area, but the Napoli forward's shot couldn't quite find the target. A minute later, Argentina captain Lionel Messi went down in the Algerian area under a tackle from Riyad Mahrez. Referee Ravshan Irmatov waved play on, prompting an uncharacteristically angry response from Messi, who was lucky not to be booked for his complaints. By the 7th minute, though, Messi had absolutely no reason at all to moan. He delivered the ball to Lucas Pratto in the area, and Pratto cut the ball across the six-yard box to Higuaín, who stabbed in a simple finish. 1-0 to La Albiceleste! Algeria tried to launch a quick response, but Brahim Boudebouda's shot in the 11th minute sailed well wide. Over the next five minutes, Gino Peruzzi and Pratto each went within inches of doubling Argentina's lead. Algeria's next attack came in the 19th minute, when Abdelmoumene Djabou threaded the ball through to Nabil Ghilas. The Fennecs striker's first shot was parried by goalie Marcelo Barovero, and Mateo Musacchio blocked the follow-up. The South Americans then reasserted their authority over the North Africans as the half-hour mark neared. Pablo Zabaleta's 27th-minute volley cleared the bar, while Higuaín's attempt a minute later was awkwardly saved by Algeria keeper Azzedine Doukha. Then came a couple of potentially significant Algerian bookings. Midfielder Nabil Bentaleb and defender Aïssa Mandi were cautioned for clumsy fouls in the 36th and 38th minutes, and they would both be suspended from the Final - if the Fennecs got that far, of course. As things stood at half-time, though, it was Argentina who were on course to reach the decider.

 

A poor back-pass from Bentaleb in the 47th minute could easily have proved fatal for Algeria. Pratto cut out the pass and rolled the ball into the Algerian area, where it found Messi despite Fennecs captain Mandi's attempts to intercept it. Messi's first-time shot was parried by Doukha, and Mandi hoofed away the danger. Doukha made another fine save in the 53rd minute from Pérez - although to be fair, Pérez was flagged offside shortly afterwards. La Albiceleste's quality really shone through two minutes later as Higuaín made it 2-0 Argentina. Zabaleta's square ball to Pratto was sidefooted forward to Higuaín, who got the better of Doukha for a second time. After wrapping up a set of assists, Pratto looked to get his name on the scoresheet in the 57th minute, only for Doukha to parry his shot away. Doukho then denied Higuaín a potential hat-trick with two more saves in the 60th and 66th minutes. Djabou had headed over a rare chance for Algeria in between those two saves, and the Fennecs would not get too many more opportunities to save their skins. One came after 72 minutes, when Djamel Abdoun turned past Argentine defender Nicolás Otamendi and fired a shot straight into Barovero's grasp. Around seven minutes later, Djabou sent a fantastic low cross into La Albiceleste's penalty area. Islam Slimani looked odds-on to strike it into the net, but Barovero threw himself in front of the shot and kept Argentina 2-0 up. Algeria's dream was all but over, and Higuaín could have applied the coup de grâce in the 86th minute. Higuaín's shot from Erik Lamela's through-ball struck the post, and he would have to settle for just a brace rather than a hat-trick. That didn't really matter to him, as the final whistle blew a few minutes later to confirm that Argentina would be going into the Final!

 

FINAL SCORE:

Argentina - 2 (Gonzalo Higuaín 7,55)

Algeria - 0

 

 

ARGENTINA LINE-UP (4-1-2-2-1) & MATCH RATINGS:

13. Marcelo Barovero (7.0)

This was another largely quiet afternoon for Barovero, who maintained his record of not conceding a goal at the World Championship. The 32-year-old saved three shots but was otherwise untested.

2. Pablo Zabaleta (8.1)

Hard-working right-back Zabaleta put in a very strong shift before coming off midway through the second period. He always looked comfortable on the ball and hardly made any mistakes.

16. Mateo Musacchio (7.2) - BOOKED (51 min)

Musacchio ran himself almost into the ground, but it was worth it for the centre-half. He was rock-solid at the back and produced a series of excellent defensive interceptions.

5. Ezequiel Garay (7.3) - BOOKED (25 min)

Garay was the main reason behind Argentina's superiority in the aerial battles. He quickly put a first-half booking aside to silence Algeria's front two and preserve La Albiceleste's proud defensive record.

4. Gino Peruzzi (7.9) - BOOKED (71 min)

Peruzzi was primarily a right-back, but he showed here that he could do a sterling job on the left flank. His main objective was to shut out Algeria's dangerman Mahrez, which he did with aplomb.

20. Javier Mascherano (7.1)

Combative holding midfielder Mascherano carried out his 'water-carrier' duties with the minimum of fuss. He was quietly efficient in front of the defence and held the team together well.

22. Enzo Pérez (8.4)

Pérez was arguably the most energetic of La Albiceleste's midfield players. He was heavily involved in the build-up to a large number of Argentina's attacks, including their first goal.

15. Ángel Di María (7.2)

Di María did not have his best performance at this tournament from a personal standpoint. Although he wasn't afraid to run at the Algerians, he didn't hold the key to unlocking their defence.

10. Lionel Messi © (9.0 - MAN OF THE MATCH)

It was Messi's eye for a pass, rather than his scoring ability, that made all the difference for Argentina. An incisive delivery to Pratto early on led to the game's first goal, and the Barcelona ace never looked back.

12. Lucas Pratto (8.7)

Journeyman Pratto was not the most exotic name on the Argentine scoresheet, but he sure played like a superstar. After all, it was his two clever assists for Higuaín that sent La Albiceleste through.

19. Gonzalo Higuaín (9.0)

As one would expect from a striker of his quality, Higuaín was a constant menace to the Algerian defence. He registered no fewer than six shots on target and found the net twice.

 

SUBSTITUTES:

17. Roberto Pereyra (7.0) - replaced Di María (62 min)

After replacing Di María for the final half-hour, Pereyra settled in quickly and produced a solid display. Though there was little need for him to do much attacking, he still kept Algeria on their toes late on.

21. Nicolás Otamendi (7.0) - replaced Zabaleta (68 min)

Otamendi was brought on to tighten up the Argentina defence as they edged closer to reaching the Final. The reliable 28-year-old was the right substitution to close the match out.

6. Erik Lamela (6.9) - replaced Messi (68 min)

With the game effectively over when he replaced Messi, Lamela had little time to make an impact. That said, he looked cool and composed on the few occasions that he got to touch the ball.

 

 

ALGERIA LINE-UP (4-4-2) & MATCH RATINGS:

1. Azzedine Doukha (6.7)

Poor old Doukha must have felt like he was facing a firing squad. The brave 29-year-old put up plenty of resistance, saving six of Argentina's shots, but he was beaten on a couple of occasions.

2. Abderrahmane Hachoud (6.9)

Full-back Hachoud was kept in his half for large spells of the game and hardly got any opportunities to maraud forward. He didn't wilt under the pressure, mind, as he made several excellent tackles.

5. Aïssa Mandi © (7.5) - BOOKED (38 min)

Mandi retook the captain's armband - and his starting place - after Nacereddine Khoualed was suspended. The Stade Reims defender performed admirably to stop Argentina from running riot.

18. Liassine Cadamuro (6.5)

Cadamuro was likely to have nightmares about both of Argentina's goals for some time to come. Failure to keep track of Higuaín for the first goal or Pratto for the second would cost the Fennecs very dear.

17. Brahim Boudebouda (6.5)

Boudebouda looked every bit the inexperienced international left-back. Tasking the naïve 25-year-old with marking a certain Lionel Andrés Messi was never likely to end well for Algeria.

6. Riyad Mahrez (6.6)

Mahrez just could not get into this game as Argentina's defenders stifled his abilities on the wing. He was kept on the peripheries and was unable to float in a single cross during his hour-long appearance.

12. Saphir Taïder (6.6)

Taïder was sadly consumed with nerves, spraying almost half of his passes to navy-clad Argentines. It was perhaps for the best that he was sacrificed at half-time - not that it helped Algeria, mind.

8. Nabil Bentaleb (6.8) - BOOKED (36 min)

Although he was the youngest member of Algeria's starting XI, Bentaleb put in a mature performance in midfield. The 21-year-old never gave up the ghost in a gruelling game and looked exhausted at full-time.

19. Djamel Abdoun (6.3)

Although Abdoun saw plenty of the ball on the left wing, he could not provide the strikers with sufficient service. Several wayward passes and crosses ensured that his would be a bad day all round.

15. Nabil Ghilas (6.6)

Target man Ghilas hardly got a look-in before being subbed early in the second period. By then, he'd had two shots at goal - one was blocked, and the other saved by Barovero.

10. Abdelmoumene Djabou (6.7)

The game really could have turned around had Djabou nodded Abdoun's 62nd-minute cross into the net. The ball flew over, and the 29-year-old would not have another opportunity to save the Fennecs.

 

SUBSTITUTES:

16. Walid Mesloub (6.4) - replaced Taïder (45 min)

Mesloub was brought on to give Algeria a more attacking presence in midfield, but things just didn't turn out right for him. His long-passing was particularly disappointing, as he kept giving the ball away.

11. Islam Slimani (6.8) - replaced Ghilas (55 min)

Slimani had arguably Algeria's best chance of the entire game in the 79th minute. Although Barovero made a superb point-blank save, Fennecs fans were wondering if the sub striker should have come on earlier.

22. Farouk Chafaï (6.8) - replaced Mahrez (62 min)

The introduction of central defender Chafaï for Mahrez was perhaps a sign that Algeria had already given up by the hour mark. It was very much damage limitation as far as the 26-year-old was concerned.

 

REFEREE: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan).

[CFuller]

Final Preview

Back in May 2015, a man by the name of Gio Bambini had a vision of a massive knock-out football competition that would bring together every national team. He made that vision a reality after being elected FIFA President later that month. Now, just over 13 months on, the first run of his dream tournament was coming to its conclusion.

 

The Final of the 2016 FIFA World Championship had thrown together two of the planet's most passionate footballing nations. Number 1 seeds Argentina were seeking to take the spoils in a major final for the first time in over 30 years. For sixth seeds Portugal, their aim was simply to win a first-ever major title at senior level.

 

The venue for this mammoth showdown was the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris. France's national stadium would be full to its capacity of 81,338, while FIFA anticipated a huge global television audience of over one billion people.

 

Interest in this Final would be particularly strong, considering that the opposing captains happened to be the two biggest footballing megastars of their generation. Argentina's Lionel Messi and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo had been fierce rivals for the best part of a decade, particularly in European and Spanish football. However, for all the club competitions and individual awards that they had won with Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively, their cabinets were badly lacking something truly special - a major international trophy.

 

Ronaldo was keen to stress that the match would not be all about him versus Messi. The 31-year-old argued that to focus mainly on him would be doing a disservice to compatriots such as Nani, João Moutinho and Bernardo Silva, who were all fantastic footballers in their own rights.

 

The pain of losing the UEFA Euro 2004 Final on home soil while Ronaldo was a precocious teenager had spurred this gardener's son from Madeira to do all he could to help his country end their long wait for international footballing glory. Twelve years after that shock defeat to Greece at the Estádio da Luz, A Selecção had the chance to do just that - in a country that meant so much to so many Portuguese.

 

From the mid-1950s to the 1970s, hundreds of thousands of Portuguese people fled their native land to start new lives in France. Most of them were escaping the dictatorship of António de Oliveira Salazar, who led the far-right Estado Novo regime from 1932 to 1968. Much like General Francisco Franco in neighbouring Spain, Salazar used strict censorship and authoritarian methods to battle democracy and communism, and run the country as he saw fit.

 

Around half a decade after this mass migration, France now had one of the largest Portuguese populations outside of Portugal. As of when the 2013 French census was conducted, nearly 650,000 French residents were born in Portugal, and at least 1.2million were of Portuguese ancestry.

 

In contrast to the stereotype of modern footballers, Ronaldo knew about his Portuguese history, and also about his many compatriots in France. On the day before the Final, he said, "There are a lot of Portuguese people here in France, and in this beautiful city of Paris. It would be a wonderful moment if, tomorrow, we could make them very happy and very proud to be Portuguese."

 

As for Portugal's wily old head coach, Fernando Santos was keen to prove wrong those pundits and journalists who had criticised his team's rather unconvincing route to the Final.

 

A Selecção conceded four goals against Senegal in Round 5, needed penalties to overcome Switzerland in Round 7, and then ground out a narrow victory over Austria in the Semi Finals. Arguably their only truly impressive performances had come in the Quarter Finals, when they eased past Ukraine 5-1 on aggregate.

 

61-year-old Santos laughed off the critics, saying, "I want them to keep saying that we're this and we're that, and that we did not deserve to go through each round.

 

"That's what I would like them to say - that we won and we didn't deserve to win. That would be amazing. I'd be going home very happy if they said that. And I will be going home very happy."

 

In contrast to Portugal's scrappy and free-scoring run to the Final, Argentina had coasted through the earlier stages with relative ease.

 

The likes of Australia, Ghana, Croatia and surprise package Algeria had all been brushed aside without managing to seriously trouble their defence. La Albiceleste were now potentially 90 minutes away from the incredible achievement of winning the World Championship without conceding a single goal.

 

While goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero and his defenders were doing a sterling job, the headline-makers in this Argentina team were most likely to be found up front. Sergio Agüero was eyeing up the Golden Boot, having scored four goals in the finals thus far, but there was no question about the identity of this team's true attacking talisman.

 

Some consistently strong performances had seen Messi move to the brink of consolidating his status as a legend of world football by adding a major international title to his CV. He did have a gold medal from the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, although very few would argue that the Olympics were the pinnacle as far as football was concerned.

 

After the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2015 Copa América, this would be the third successive summer in which Messi competed in the decisive match of a major competition. Argentina had lost the previous two to Germany and Chile respectively, and Messi hinted that another failure would probably be his last.

 

"Getting to three finals in a row is impressive, but I hope that we can finally win the cup that we so desire," Messi said. "We have been working together for another year, we are stronger as a group and we've really grown in a lot of ways. If this year is not the year in which we succeed, then I fear that there might not be another opportunity, at least not for this generation."

 

Away from football, Messi was having to battle accusations of tax evasion. A few days after the Final, he and his father Jorge were due in court in Barcelona to hear the verdict of a fraud trial that had been ongoing for several months. If found guilty, the pair were likely to face suspended prison sentences.

 

Albiceleste coach Gerardo Martino praised Messi for his mental resilience ahead of the Final, and then made it clear just how desperately Argentina wanted to break their recent Final hoodoo.

 

"It has been a long and difficult journey," Martino said. "In every competition, Argentina have the same aim - to win the trophy - and if they don't win, then the media will be on our backs until the next one comes along."

 

In reference to Argentina's two most recent Final heartaches, 'Tata' admitted, "There's an emotional aspect here in Paris, but the players know all about that because they played in Rio de Janeiro [in the World Cup Final], and some of them played in Santiago [in the Copa América Final] as well.

 

"All of us know exactly what we are going to face. In these cases, the importance of the prize tends to divert the attention away from the match, so I think the best thing we can do is to ensure we play like we usually do."

 

It wasn't quite unstoppable force versus immovable object, but this match was almost impossible to predict. Pundits and punters alike were almost evenly split on who would come out on top. Would it be the majestic but pragmatic Portuguese, or would it be the solid yet sophisticated Argentines?

 

FINAL: 3 July 2016

Portugal                             vs      Argentina                           

 

ROAD TO THE FINAL

ROUND             PORTUGAL                             ARGENTINA                            
Round 5           beat Senegal (5-4 agg)               beat Poland (3-0 agg)
Round 6           beat Mexico (3-1 agg)                beat Australia (4-0 agg)
Round 7           beat Switzerland (1-1 agg, 6-5 PSO)  beat Ghana (2-0 agg)
Quarter Final     beat Ukraine (5-1 agg)               beat Croatia (1-0 agg)
Semi Final        beat Austria (1-0)                   beat Algeria (2-0)

 

COMPARISON: RONALDO VS MESSI

                        CRISTIANO RONALDO                    LIONEL MESSI                         
NATION                  Portugal                             Argentina
CLUB                    Real Madrid                          Barcelona
AGE (DATE OF BIRTH)     31 (05/02/1985)                      29 (24/06/1987)
HEIGHT / WEIGHT         6ft 1in / 13st 3lb                   5ft 7in / 11st 4lb
POSITIONS               M (L), AM (LC), ST (C)               AM (RC), ST (C)
PREFERRED FOOT          Either                               Left
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERNATIONAL CAPS      128 (debut 2003)                     105 (debut 2005)
INTERNATIONAL GOALS     60                                   43
15/16 INTL CAPS/GOALS   13 caps / 10 goals                   11 caps / 1 goal
15/16 CLUB APPS/GOALS   55 apps / 34 goals                   65 apps / 40 goals
CAREER CLUB APPS/GOALS  680 apps / 470 goals                 579 apps / 463 goals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LEAGUE TITLES           3 with Manchester United:            7 with Barcelona:
                        2007, 2008, 2009                     2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011,
                        2 with Real Madrid:                  2013, 2015
                        2012, 2016
 
NATIONAL CUPS           1 with Manchester United: 2004       3 with Barcelona:
                        2 with Real Madrid: 2011, 2014       2009, 2012, 2015
 
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUES  1 with Manchester United: 2008       4 with Barcelona:
                        1 with Real Madrid: 2014             2006, 2009, 2011, 2015
 
FIFA CLUB WORLD CUPS    1 with Manchester United: 2008       2 with Barcelona: 2009, 2011
 
INTERNATIONAL TITLES    none                                 Olympic Games with Argentina: 2008
 
BALLON D'ORS            3 wins:                              5 wins:
                        2008, 2013, 2014                     2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015

[CFuller]

2016 FIFA World Championship Final

3 July 2016

Portugal vs Argentina - at Stade de France, Saint-Denis

 

This was it. The time for speculation was nearly over. In just a few hours, either Portugal or Argentina would have the honour of being crowned the first ever winners of the FIFA World Championship.

 

Security in Paris and Saint-Denis had been ramped up drastically ahead of the biggest night in the international football calendar. No undue risks would be taken, especially with so much attention drawn towards the Stade de France.

 

No fewer than 5,000 officers would patrol the city, with particular focus on protecting three key areas. The first - and most obvious - venue was the Stade de France itself, outside of which a suicide bomber had blown himself us on that horrific night of 13 November 2015.

 

There would also be a heavy security presence in the shadow of the iconic Eiffel Tower, where approximately 90,000 people would congregate in a fan zone. Likewise, scores of officers would be found in and around the Champs-Élysées, which was likely to witness celebrations from scores of either Portuguese or Argentinean fans after the match.

 

Of course, the two teams would be the subject of strong police security, particularly outside their respective hotels.

 

At around 4:00pm local time, just four hours before kick-off, alarms were raised about a 'suspicious package' outside the hotel where Portugal's team was staying. Police and bomb disposal squads were called to the Equipede Hotel, where an unattended bag was located around 10 yards away from the Portugal team bus.

 

Police cordoned off the road outside the hotel and evacuated everyone within the vicinity before the bomb disposal squad got to work. At 4:38pm, a loud bang was heard outside the hotel as a controlled explosion took place.

 

The unattended baggage was subsequently found not to have contained any explosives. After the 'threat' was confirmed as a false alarm, police reopened the road and normal service resumed.

 

Portugal left their hotel shortly afterwards and boarded their bus, bound for the Stade de France. Argentina's team also made their way towards the French national stadium, departing the Marcoussis hotel in the outskirts of Paris around two-and-a-half hours before kick-off.

 

The Stade de France would be full to its capacity, and among the thousands of spectators were many of the great and good from global football. Issa Hayatou, the interim President of FIFA, was there, along with Portugal's recently-elected President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and his Argentine counterpart Mauricio Macri.

 

Also in attendance, surprisingly, was FIFA's suspended President - Gio Bambini. He had not been expected to attend the Final, and indeed, many doubted whether he would even be allowed inside the Stade de France.

 

Hayatou had been sceptical about Bambini ever since the presidential election that ousted his long-time friend Sepp Blatter in May 2015. Privately, the 69-year-old Cameroonian described Bambini as a "dishonest man" who wanted "a return to the status quo of international football, instead of a new dawn where teams from developing nations have the same opportunities as those from developed countries".

 

As interim President, Hayatou had the authority to forbid Bambini from attending the match as part of FIFA's delegation. However, he did offer Bambini an invitation to attend, on the proviso that the honour of handing over the João Havelange Trophy to the winning captain would fall to Hayatou instead of the suspended President. Bambini agreed to this compromise and flew out from Switzerland to France on the evening before the Final.

 

In the build-up to kick-off, Bambini spoke publicly about his pride in making his grand World Championship idea a reality.

 

The Swiss-Italian beamed, "Tonight is the fulfillment of a dream - a dream that all of the countries of the world come together in the name of sport. Over the last 11 months, we have seen all 216 footballing nations take part in the most wonderful, exciting and dramatic international tournament of all-time. After tonight, only one will remain - the world champion.

 

"I do not have any children of my own, but the World Championship is like a child to me. I am truly humbled to see that so many of you have embraced it, and I sincerely hope that you will continue to embrace it and celebrate the spectacle of international football for generations to come."

 

At the start of this week, Bambini had publicly stated for the first time that he had been in a homosexual relationship with Marco Sepe - the 'Moscow match-fixer' who was murdered in April. Now, though, he declined to comment on any questions about his sexuality, the upcoming trial of Ruslan Sayfutdinov over Sepe's murder, or the widespread allegations of corruption that allegedly took place on his watch.

 

"Tonight is about Portugal and Argentina, not me," he told one journalist. "We can talk about more serious matters at a later time."

 

With that, Bambini ended his impromptu pre-Final press conference. He wouldn't speak to the media again that day.

 

The final chapter of the inaugural FIFA World Championship was about to be written. What wasn't yet certain, though, was exactly which team would have the happier ending.

 

TEAM NEWS

Portugal manager Fernando Santos had prided himself of using as much of his squad as possible in this World Championship. However, few expected him to make as many gambles in his starting line-up for the Final as he did. The entire back four was changed up, and Selecção fans were understandably concerned to see what was effectively a second-string defensive line in front of goalkeeper Rui Patrício. However, Santos would point out in his final public interview before kick-off that this was largely down to fatigue rather than form.

 

As far as the Portuguese midfield was concerned, André Gomes was restored to the starting line-up after being benched for the Semi Final. Adrien was the unlucky man to be dropped in Gomes' favour. The rest of Portugal's squad was available for selection, with the exception of third-choice goalkeeper João Miguel, who had been struck down with a virus at the most inopportune time.

 

Argentina boss Gerardo Martino also altered his defence, though not to the same extent as his Portuguese counterpart. The return of left-back Marcos Rojo from suspension saw Gino Peruzzi shifted back from the left flank to his preferred right side, while Pablo Zabaleta was dropped to the bench. There was one change in the centre, with Nicolás Otamendi replacing Mateo Musacchio as Ezequiel Garay's partner.

 

Augusto Fernández recovered from his shin injury in time to replace the tired Javier Mascherano in the holding midfield role. Sitting just ahead of Fernández in a more advanced central midfield role was Roberto Pereyra, rather than Enzo Pérez, in the only other change to the starting line-up. Coach Martino only had two players missing from his matchday squad for the Final. Walter Kannemann and Nicolás Tagliafico were already back home in Argentina after their tournaments had been ended prematurely.

[CFuller]

FIRST HALF

Many had predicted that Argentina would be the more attacking team in this Final, but the reality was very different. It was Portugal who made the more confident start, registering the game's first shot at goal after three minutes. Youngster Bernardo Silva played a one-two with Cristiano Ronaldo in the Albiceleste area before his shot was blocked by Nicolás Otamendi, and then cleared away by Lucas Pratto. Argentina would be on the defensive again in the fifth minute, when Ángel Di María charged down a strike from Selecção midfielder André Gomes. That won Portugal a corner, but Argentina comfortably saw it off. Three minutes later, Argentina's first real attacking foray was halted by a strong challenge on Pratto on Nani, who was swiftly booked by referee Cüneyt Çakır. The Turkish official would bring out his yellow card again in the 18th minute. Augusto Fernández' trip on Ronaldo resulted in a caution for La Albiceleste's holding midfielder. Ronaldo had unsurprisingly been singled out for rough treatment by the South Americans, particularly after his long-range shot in the 12th minute forced goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero into his first save. The first period was slowly but steadily catching fire.

 

Barovero faced his next major test in the Argentina goal after 24 minutes. Ronaldo shrugged off the presence of several Argentine defenders before squaring the ball to Nani, whose effort from about 30 yards out was pushed behind by the River Plate shotstopper. Although João Moutinho's corner was comfortably cleared by Argentina full-back Gino Peruzzi, the danger hadn't been completely dealt with. Nani retook the ball and searched out Moutinho, whose next cross was met by an unconvincing interception from Otamendi. Portugal continued that particular attack in the 25th minute, and when Nani swung in a cross towards Ronaldo in the six-yard box, it looked almost certain that the Real Madrid forward would nod it home. However, he couldn't quite keep his header down, and La Albiceleste's fans breathed a collective sigh of relief. Ronaldo would go close to scoring again in the 29th minute, when he fired a long-range shot just over the bar after being set up by Silva. With about half an hour gone, A Selecção were firmly asserting themselves as the stronger side in this match.

 

Argentina's biggest scare yet came after 31 minutes. After skirting past an unsuccessful slide tackle from Peruzzi, Nani had free rein down the left flank. The Sporting CP winger surged forward towards the byline, where he whipped in a cross that Ronaldo met with a lethal left-footed volley. It was a shot that would have been worthy of winning any game... had it gone in. Barovero came to La Albiceleste's rescue when he met the strike with an incredible fingertip save that diverted it over the bar. Nani had another attempt at goal in the 33rd minute, but that particular effort was blazed well over. A couple of minutes later, in the 35th minute, the hitherto anonymous Lionel Messi helped to create Argentina's best attacking move of the match thus far. From inside the penalty area, Messi played the ball out wide to Juventus right-back Peruzzi, who swung it back into the danger zone. Moutinho made a firm challenge on Albiceleste striker Sergio Agüero, and his Portuguese midfield colleague William Carvalho tried to knock the ball away from Pratto. Unfortunately, for Carvalho, the ball fell to Di María. The Argentina midfielder struck a hit-and-hoper... and found the side netting. Di María would have Argentina's only shot on target of the first half in the 43rd minute, but his angled effort couldn't quite get the better of Selecção goalkeeper Rui Patrício. Barovero had made another save from Ronaldo at the other end about four minutes earlier. Portugal would end a cagey first period looking like the side most capable of making anything happen, but the scoreline remained 0-0.

 

HALF-TIME SCORE:

Portugal - 0

Argentina - 0

[CFuller]

SECOND HALF

Unsurprisingly, it was Argentina's Gerardo Martino who made the first move when it came to substitutions. Underwhelming performances from Di María and Pratto had convinced Martino to take them off at half-time and bring on some fresh legs. The English-based duo of midfielder Enzo Pérez - recently signed by Everton on a free transfer from Valencia - and Tottenham Hotspur forward Erik Lamela were both introduced for the second half. As for Portugal, their head coach Fernando Santos stayed calm, feeling no need to play any of his 'wildcards' just yet. Would his patience help to win the game for A Selecção... or would those Argentine subs make the difference?

 

Argentina pushed forward shortly after the referee blew his whistle to start the second half. Lamela took the ball into Portugal's area, only to be smartly dispossessed by Vierinha before Daniel Carriço hoofed the ball into touch. Messi also struggled to make an impact early in the period, and it was becoming clear that the Barcelona magician was nowhere near his best. A little over two minutes in the second half, Martino took the very bold decision to sacrifice his main man, and throw on Nicolás Gaitán instead. Argentine fans reacted to Messi's substitution with a large chorus of boos, and they would be feeling more annoyed later on. In the 50th minute, goalkeeper Barovero was called upon to tip behind a blistering shot struck by Gomes from just outside the Albiceleste area. Two minutes after that, Ronaldo attempted to beat Barovero with a long-distance strike that drifted just wide. Ronaldo had another chance to score on 58 minutes, as he latched onto a long ball from Carriço before being denied by another fine Barovero save. Then, in the 62nd minute, a one-two between Ronaldo and Silva ended with the latter making a run into Argentina's box. The young midfielder's shot was parried by Barovero, but only towards Ronaldo, who beat Otamendi to the ball and applied the finish! However, one of the assistant referees had spotted Ronaldo in an offside position, and so the goal was disallowed! The game was still deadlocked!

 

Shortly after Ronaldo's disallowed goal, Santos decided to play his hand on the Portuguese touchline. He had earlier brought on inside forward Ivan Cavaleiro as a replacement for Nani, and he would soon make a couple of changes to his midfield. Gomes was replaced by 19-year-old Porto starlet Rúben Neves, and Carvalho by Danilo Pereira, in between a 63rd-minute yellow card for the experienced João Moutinho. The Monaco midfielder had been penalised for tripping Gaitán, who - worryingly for Argentina - was already suffering from a minor injury. Another Portuguese booking could easily have followed in the 71st minute, when Cavaleiro brought Peruzzi down. Selecção supporters were somewhat relieved to see Cavaleiro get away without punishment. Similarly, in the 74th minute, Argentinean fans felt rather glad that Otamendi's clumsy challenge on Ronaldo was not punished by either a card or an excellent free-kick from Moutinho, who flighted his set-piece just over the bar. Portugal were now coming on strong again and getting ready to launch a late push towards victory. With eight minutes to go until full-time, Ronaldo angled a long lob out wide towards Cavaleiro. The 22-year-old latched onto Ronaldo's delivery, took the ball past Peruzzi, and then dribbled across the goalmouth. After beating another Albiceleste defender in Ezequiel Garay, Cavaleiro struck a shot that Barovero could only palm helplessly into his own net! The Portuguese contingent at the Stade de France went into ecstasy, as their team was now on the verge of glory!

 

With time fast running out for them, Argentina redoubled their attacking efforts in the closing stages. Lamela won a corner off Vierinha after 86 minutes, but his resulting delivery into the box was easily nodded away by Moutinho. Another attack from the South Americans broke down just moments later after Pérez was flagged offside. La Albiceleste went forward again in the 88th minute, as Gaitán searched out a run from Agüero. The Manchester City striker did get to Gaitán's long ball, but his first-time shot was parried out of play by Rui Patrício. Moutinho then cleared Gaitán's corner before Portugal advanced up the pitch, looking for a second goal that would surely finish the game off. They wouldn't get one, though Silva did draw Rojo into a foul that resulted in the Argentine defender picking up an injury-time booking. A Selecção ate up most of the three extra minutes in opposition territory, but defender Mário Rui gifted Argentina one last opportunity to equalise when he conceded a corner in the final minute. Lamela drifted the corner in... and Carriço nodded it away. Gaitán took the loose ball and passed it back to Lamela in space, only to recoil in horror when the offside flag went up against Lamela. That was the end of Argentina's dream. Just as Rui Patrício was preparing to hoof the subsequent free-kick up the pitch, referee Çakır blew the final whistle on the inaugural World Championship. Portugal had been crowned the new kings of international football!

 

FINAL SCORE:

Portugal - 1 (Ivan Cavaleiro 82)

Argentina - 0

[CFuller]

POST-MATCH

After the final whistle, both captains shed tears - of agony for Messi, and of overwhelming joy as far as Ronaldo was concerned. A couple of months after guiding Real Madrid towards an emphatic victory over Messi's Barcelona in the La Liga title race, Ronaldo had got the upper hand over his great rival again. He would have the honour of becoming the first Portuguese footballer to lift a major international trophy in his country's name.

 

The trophy presentation ceremony was rather controversial. As acting FIFA President, Issa Hayatou was supposed to hand the João Havelange Trophy over to Portugal's skipper. However, at the last moment, the man who made this tournament a reality - FIFA's suspended President Gio Bambini - took the trophy himself and joyfully presented it to a beaming Ronaldo. Hayatou's annoyed scowl after Bambini's intervention painted a thousand words.

 

That would be a talking point later on in the night, but for the time being, this was Portugal's moment to savour.

 

The likes of Ronaldo, Nani and Moutinho had been part of the Selecção set-up for many years and had previously been seen as massive underachievers on the international scene. With the help of some fresh blood from the likes of Silva and Cavaleiro, they had finally managed to do what Portugal's 'Golden Generation' of the 1990s couldn't - fulfil their true potential on the biggest stage.

 

Coach Santos was hailed as a tactical genius for bringing on Cavaleiro early in the second period, but he humbly admitted that the Monaco youngster's supreme confidence made an even bigger impact on his performance.

 

"He told me he would score when I sent him on," Santos said of the 22-year-old. "He's an exceptional young man who does not fear any opponent, not even the biggest and strongest.

 

"I would like to thank all the players for believing that tonight would be our night. We were as simple as doves and wise as serpents. I thank them all and could not be any prouder of them."

 

After witnessing a surprisingly abject performance from his team, Argentina boss Gerardo Martino said, "Defeats like today are not going to change my analysis of this team. We tried everything to make tonight a success, but in the end, you have to admit that Portugal were the smarter and stronger team."

 

"In the short time that I have been working with La Albiceleste, we have acquired a way of playing and we've been pretty good, but there is room for improvement. We will be back next year, that is for certain."

 

Argentina quietly exited the stage after falling just short at a major tournament yet again. Following the match, serious questions were asked about the futures of Martino and - more worryingly for La Albiceleste - Messi, with many people speculating that the Barcelona superstar was considering retiring from internationals.

 

In the end, though, it was Portugal who had crossed the finish line and taken the spoils. They would be drinking in their moment of glory as the night went on, while Argentine fans were left to drown their sorrows.

 

 

PORTUGAL LINE-UP (4-1-4-1) & MATCH RATINGS:

13. Rui Patrício (6.9)

Rui Patrício would have, in all honesty, expected a much sterner test from the Argentines. In the end, Portugal's goalkeeper was only called upon to make a couple of saves from Di María and Agüero.

2. Vierinha (6.8)

Vierinha performed reasonably well in the right-back slot for A Selecção. He was very strong in the tackle and ensured that Argentina couldn't make any real inroads down the flanks.

5. Daniel Carriço (7.0)

Carriço saw less of the ball than any other starting Portuguese outfielder, but his presence at the back was still obvious. The Sevilla centre-half stood his ground well and never looked overawed by the occasion.

21. Jardel (7.2)

Jardel was the busiest of Portugal's defenders and made several vital interventions whenever Argentina threatened to break through. He also won several key headers to frustrate the opposition.

23. Mário Rui (7.0)

Mário Rui was a surprise replacement for Fábio Coentrão at left-back but more than held his own in the role. He showed real maturity and was perhaps the main reason behind Messi's inconspicuousness.

14. William Carvalho (6.8)

Carvalho had a decent game back in his traditional holding midfield role. The 24-year-old anchor man imposed himself on the Argentines and rarely got caught off his guard.

8. Bernardo Silva (7.8)

Silva wrapped up an excellent tournament with a stunning display in the Final. The youngster gave his all and was one of Portugal's main creative outlets throughout the entire game.

16. João Moutinho (7.9) - BOOKED (63 min)

Midfielder Moutinho made his experience count with some slick passing and strong tackling. Although based mainly in the centre, he also provided an element of surprise with a host of crosses into the Argentina box.

19. André Gomes (6.8)

Gomes was one of the youngest players in the Selecção ranks and looked a tad nervous at the start. That said, he managed to compose himself before helping Portugal to dictate terms in midfield.

18. Nani (7.0) - BOOKED (8 min)

Nani was Portugal's most dangerous player in the first half, providing a couple of excellent crosses from the left. However, he ran out of energy shortly after the restart and was rightly replaced.

7. Cristiano Ronaldo © (7.2)

Ronaldo was constantly at the heart of Portugal's attacks, as he had 10 of their 19 attempts at goal. It was his creativity, though, that decided the game when he found Cavaleiro down the left in the 82nd minute.

 

SUBSTITUTES:

9. Ivan Cavaleiro (8.1 - MAN OF THE MATCH) - replaced Nani (56 min)

Cavaleiro came off the bench to win the Final for Portugal, just as he did in the Semi Final. His mazy run across goal was the sort of magical moment no Portuguese football fan will ever forget in a hurry.

12. Rúben Neves (6.7) - replaced Gomes (62 min)

Neves came on for the final half-hour and didn't once look out of his depth against the top seeds. The Porto starlet's pinpoint passing helped him to become a world champion at the ripe old age of 19.

4. Danilo Pereira (6.8) - replaced Carvalho (65 min)

Pereira was another smart substitution that Fernando Santos made. He continued where Carvalho left off, leaving the Argentines with very little space to exploit in the middle.

 

 

ARGENTINA LINE-UP (4-1-2-2-1) & MATCH RATINGS:

13. Marcelo Barovero (7.0)

Barovero had looked totally unbeatable at this tournament - right up until the final 10 minutes. After making so many fantastic saves from Ronaldo and co, he was finally defeated by Cavaleiro's masterpiece.

4. Gino Peruzzi (8.1)

Peruzzi was arguably Argentina's best player, even in spite of his involvement in the decisive goal. The right-back's crosses provided the only sort of decent service his attack-minded colleagues would receive.

5. Ezequiel Garay (6.8)

Ball-playing defender Garay would surely have been more involved had La Albiceleste been even approaching their best. As it was, he was constantly forced back and had to try and hold firm throughout.

21. Nicolás Otamendi (7.0)

Argentina fans could thank Otamendi that a dominant Portuguese performance didn't turn into a rout. His interceptions on the ground and in the air undoubtedly limited the damage.

23. Marcos Rojo (7.0) - BOOKED (90 min)

Rojo was constantly given a hard time by Silva but certainly didn't disgrace himself at left-back. His injury-time booking was more a sign of frustration than any ineptitude.

8. Augusto Fernández (6.6) - BOOKED (18 min)

Considering he'd only just recovered from a shin injury, it was always a risk to start Fernández. The defensive midfielder couldn't prevent Portugal's attackers from running him ragged.

17. Roberto Pereyra (7.6)

Pereyra hardly mistimed any passes from La Albiceleste's midfield and was unlucky not to be on the winning team. Argentina's impotence was more down to those players ahead of the 25-year-old Juventus man.

15. Ángel Di María (6.8)

Di María had to provide the link to the front three but didn't prove up to the task. After an ineffective first-half performance, the Paris Saint-Germain star was taken off during the interval.

10. Lionel Messi © (6.9)

Not for the first time in his career, Messi was unable to reproduce his club form for his country in a major final. The Albiceleste captain only showed glimpses of his unbounded talent before surprisingly being subbed.

12. Lucas Pratto (6.8)

Pratto gave the ball away too cheaply and too often to put Portugal under any sustained pressure in the first period. Compared to his Semi Final display, this was a real damp squib from the Atlético Mineiro forward.

11. Sergio Agüero (6.8)

Agüero tried his best to get involved, but a combination of poor service and strong defending kept him quiet. His only shot on target came two minutes from time, when Rui Patrício made a superb parry.

 

SUBSTITUTES:

22. Enzo Pérez (6.6) - replaced Di María (45 min)

Argentina looked a little more vibrant when Pérez came on in midfield, but not much more. Although his distribution was okay, he didn't have an eye for any really incisive passes and was rather middle-of-the-road.

6. Erik Lamela (6.4) - replaced Pratto (45 min)

Lamela's contribution to this game was so minimal that he might as well have not come on. When he did try to make his mark via a couple of corners, his deliveries left an awful lot to be desired.

7. Nicolás Gaitán (6.6) - replaced Messi (48 min)

It was a bold move for Gerardo Martino to replace his skipper with Gaitán, but it didn't pay off. The Benfica wideman made some promising attacking runs but was generally sloppy with the ball.

 

REFEREE: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey).

[CFuller]

Finals Phase Awards, Records & Statistics

AWARDS

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Bernardo Silva (Portugal).

2nd Most Valuable Player: Lionel Messi (Argentina).

3rd Most Valuable Player: Ángel Di María (Argentina).

 

GOLDEN BOOT: Matej Vydra (Czech Republic, 4 goals*).

* Vydra finished level on 4 goals with Sergio Agüero (Argentina) and Islam Slimani (Algeria), but won the award courtesy of having played the fewest games among the three players.

 

GOLDEN GOAL: Ivan Perisic (Croatia, vs Republic of Ireland - Round 6, Leg 1).

Silver Goal: Arjen Robben (Netherlands, vs Czech Republic - Round 6, Leg 2).

Bronze Goal: Matej Vydra (Czech Republic, vs Netherlands - Round 6, Leg 1).

 

BEST XI: Orestis Karnezis (Greece); Pablo Zabaleta (Argentina), Daniel Carriço (Portugal), Eric Dier (England), Fabio Coentrão (Portugal); Theo Walcott (England), Bernardo Silva (Portugal), Ángel Di María (Argentina), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal); Matej Vydra (Czech Republic), Lionel Messi (Argentina).

 

 

TEAM RECORDS

Highest Attendance: 95,000 - Mexico vs Portugal (Round 6, Leg 1).

Lowest Attendance: 9,522 - Iceland vs Greece (Round 6, Leg 2).

 

Biggest Win: Paraguay 0-4 England (Round 6, Leg 1)

Highest-Scoring Game: Algeria 3-2 Panama (Round 6, Leg 2).

Highest-Scoring Tie: Algeria 5-3 Panama (Round 6)

Lowest-Scoring Tie: Argentina 1-0 Croatia (Quarter Final).

Most Consecutive Wins: 5 - Argentina.

Most Consecutive Defeats: 2 - 13 different teams.

Most Consecutive Games Without Losing: 7 - Argentina.

Most Consecutive Games Without Winning: 3 - Germany, Russia.

 

Most Goals Scored: 11 - Portugal.

Fewest Goals Scored: 0 - Australia, Equatorial Guinea, Paraguay, South Korea, United States of America.

Most Goals Conceded: 9 - Ukraine.

Fewest Goals Conceded Before Elimination: 1 - Argentina.

Most Clean Sheets: 7 - Argentina.

Most Consecutive Games Without Conceding: 7 - Argentina.

Most Consecutive Games Without Scoring: 3 - Russia.

 

Most Yellow Cards: 17 - Ukraine.

Most Red Cards: 2 - Russia.

Most Fouls Made: 84 - Argentina, Ukraine.

Most Fouls Against: 120 - Argentina.

 

 

PLAYER RECORDS

Most Goals: 4 - Sergio Agüero (Argentina), Islam Slimani (Algeria), Matej Vydra (Czech Republic).

Most Goals In One Game: 3 - Harry Kane (England, vs Paraguay - Round 6, Leg 1).

Most Assists: 3 - Ross Barkley (England), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Matteo Darmian (Italy), Bernardo Silva (Portugal).

 

Most Man of the Match Awards: 3 - Lionel Messi (Argentina).

Most Clean Sheets From A Goalkeeper: 7 - Marcelo Barovero (Argentina).

Most Yellow Cards: 3 - David Alaba (Austria), Zlatko Junuzovic (Austria), Javier Mascherano (Argentina), Yaroslav Rakitskyi (Ukraine), Sergiy Rybalka (Ukraine), Sime Vrsaljko (Croatia).

Most Red Cards: 2 - Alan Dzagoev (Russia).

Fastest Goal: 33 seconds - Ángel Di María (Argentina, vs Austria - Round 6, Leg 1).

 

Youngest Player: 19 years 83 days - Rúben Neves (Portugal, vs Mexico - Round 6, Leg 1).

Oldest Player: 38 years 143 days - Gianluigi Buffon (Italy, vs Croatia - Round 7, Leg 2).

Youngest Goalscorer: 19 years 334 days - Andrija Zivkovic (Serbia, vs Germany - Round 6, Leg 2).

Oldest Goalscorer: 34 years 75 days - Luis Tejada (Panama, vs Algeria - Round 6, Leg 1).

[CFuller]

Post-Championship FIFA World Rankings

FIFA World Rankings as of July 2016, following the conclusion of the 2016 FIFA World Championship:

 

RANK      NATION                               CONTINENT       POINTS
1st       Argentina                            South America   1,148
2nd       Belgium                              Europe          1,099
3rd       Germany                              Europe          1,043
4th       Colombia                             South America   985
5th       Portugal                             Europe          981
6th       Netherlands                          Europe          961
7th       England                              Europe          888
8th       Brazil                               South America   871
9th       Chile                                South America   845
10th      Austria                              Europe          844
11th      France                               Europe          834
12th      Switzerland                          Europe          820
13th      Italy                                Europe          819
14th      Romania                              Europe          811
15th      Croatia                              Europe          805
16th      Algeria                              Africa          753
17th      Spain                                Europe          752
18th      Uruguay                              South America   713
19th      Iceland                              Europe          687
20th      Ukraine                              Europe          682
21st      Wales                                Europe          671
22nd      Slovakia                             Europe          651
23rd      Czech Republic                       Europe          648
24th      Ghana                                Africa          634
25th      Mexico                               North America   633
26th      Denmark                              Europe          626
27th      Albania                              Europe          613
28th      Bosnia & Herzegovina                 Europe          609
29th      Sweden                               Europe          588
30th      Greece                               Europe          587
31st      Ivory Coast                          Africa          582
32nd      Poland                               Europe          560
33rd      United States of America             North America   555
34th      Senegal                              Africa          547
35th      Peru                                 South America   544
36th      Costa Rica                           North America   540
=37th     Serbia                               Europe          533
=37th     Scotland                             Europe          533
39th      Russia                               Europe          525
40th      Hungary                              Europe          514
41st      Iran                                 Asia            511
42nd      Congo-Brazzaville                    Africa          504
43rd      Guinea                               Africa          502
44th      Venezuela                            South America   498
=45th     Ecuador                              South America   495
=45th     Tunisia                              Africa          495
47th      Cameroon                             Africa          468
48th      Nigeria                              Africa          467
49th      Northern Ireland                     Europe          464
50th      Paraguay                             South America   462
51st      Panama                               North America   450
52nd      South Korea                          Asia            446
53rd      Egypt                                Africa          440
54th      Burkina Faso                         Africa          436
55th      Republic of Ireland                  Europe          432
=56th     Cyprus                               Europe          428
=56th     Bulgaria                             Europe          428
58th      South Africa                         Africa          425
59th      Gabon                                Africa          424
=60th     Slovenia                             Europe          417
=60th     Cape Verde                           Africa          417
62nd      Turkey                               Europe          412
63rd      Faroe Islands                        Europe          402
64th      DR Congo                             Africa          401
65th      Norway                               Europe          398
66th      Finland                              Europe          390
67th      Qatar                                Asia            387
=68th     Israel                               Europe          385
=68th     Trinidad & Tobago                    North America   385
=70th     Australia                            Asia            384
=70th     Equatorial Guinea                    Africa          384
72nd      Japan                                Asia            380
73rd      Uzbekistan                           Asia            367
=74th     Montenegro                           Europe          360
=74th     Angola                               Africa          360
76th      China                                Asia            354
77th      United Arab Emirates                 Asia            343
78th      Jamaica                              North America   340
79th      Kenya                                Africa          337
80th      Mali                                 Africa          333
81st      El Salvador                          North America   331
82nd      Armenia                              Europe          316
83rd      Zimbabwe                             Africa          315
84th      Benin                                Africa          313
85th      Latvia                               Europe          312
=86th     Honduras                             North America   304
=86th     Rwanda                               Africa          304
88th      Moldova                              Europe          296
89th      Azerbaijan                           Europe          295
90th      Haiti                                North America   291
91st      Lithuania                            Europe          290
92nd      Macedonia                            Europe          285
93rd      Estonia                              Europe          280
94th      Togo                                 Africa          279
95th      Jordan                               Asia            274
=96th     Uganda                               Africa          270
=96th     Sudan                                Africa          270
=96th     Niger                                Africa          270
99th      Bolivia                              South America   269
100th     Bahrain                              Asia            267
101st     Saudi Arabia                         Asia            265
102nd     Zambia                               Africa          263
103rd     Belarus                              Europe          261
104th     Morocco                              Africa          255
105th     Iraq                                 Asia            252
106th     Ethiopia                             Africa          248
107th     Curaçao                              North America   247
108th     Libya                                Africa          245
=109th    Guatemala                            North America   244
=109th    Mozambique                           Africa          244
111th     Oman                                 Asia            243
112th     Dominican Republic                   North America   241
113th     Lebanon                              Asia            237
114th     Canada                               North America   228
115th     Belize                               North America   226
116th     New Zealand                          Oceania         222
117th     Georgia                              Europe          221
118th     Syria                                Asia            213
=119th    Thailand                             Asia            211
=119th    Tanzania                             Africa          211
=121st    Philippines                          Asia            210
=121st    Kuwait                               Asia            210
123rd     Palestine                            Asia            209
124th     Barbados                             North America   205
125th     Saint Vincent & The Grenadines       North America   204
126th     Mauritania                           Africa          191
127th     Sierra Leone                         Africa          190
128th     Botswana                             Africa          186
129th     Cuba                                 North America   184
130th     The Gambia                           Africa          182
=131st    Luxembourg                           Europe          180
=131st    Bermuda                              North America   180
=133rd    Aruba                                North America   174
=133rd    Antigua & Barbuda                    North America   174
=133rd    Malawi                               Africa          174
136th     Namibia                              Africa          173
137th     Guinea-Bissau                        Africa          169
138th     Madagascar                           Africa          167
139th     Malta                                Europe          166
=140th    Liechtenstein                        Europe          165
=140th    Saint Kitts & Nevis                  North America   165
142nd     Central African Republic             Africa          161
143rd     Saint Lucia                          North America   160
144th     Turkmenistan                         Asia            156
145th     Tajikistan                           Asia            153
146th     Afghanistan                          Asia            152
147th     Nicaragua                            North America   151
148th     Kyrgyzstan                           Asia            150
=149th    Singapore                            Asia            149
=149th    Kazakhstan                           Europe          149
=151st    Guyana                               North America   145
=151st    Grenada                              North America   145
153rd     Suriname                             North America   144
154th     North Korea                          Asia            142
155th     Swaziland                            Africa          141
156th     São Tomé & Príncipe                  Africa          140
157th     Hong Kong                            Asia            139
=158th    Vietnam                              Asia            136
=158th    Burundi                              Africa          136
160th     Lesotho                              Africa          131
161st     Puerto Rico                          North America   128
=162nd    Liberia                              Africa          126
=162nd    Chad                                 Africa          126
164th     India                                Asia            123
165th     Indonesia                            Asia            122
166th     New Caledonia                        Oceania         118
=167th    Comoros                              Africa          116
=167th    Yemen                                Asia            116
169th     Malaysia                             Asia            115
170th     Laos                                 Asia            114
=171st    Solomon Islands                      Oceania         113
=171st    Myanmar                              Asia            113
173rd     Mauritius                            Africa          108
174th     Bangladesh                           Asia            105
175th     Pakistan                             Asia            102
176th     Guam                                 Asia            100
177th     Tahiti                               Oceania         98
=178th    East Timor                           Asia            96
=178th    Dominica                             North America   96
=180th    Réunion                              Africa          95
=180th    Guadeloupe                           North America   95
=180th    Chinese Taipei                       Asia            95
183rd     Cambodia                             Asia            94
184th     Montserrat                           North America   93
185th     Maldives                             Asia            92
186th     Sri Lanka                            Asia            82
=187th    US Virgin Islands                    North America   79
=187th    Nepal                                Asia            79
189th     Papua New Guinea                     Oceania         75
190th     Fiji                                 Oceania         73
191st     Cayman Islands                       North America   69
192nd     French Guiana                        North America   68
193rd     South Sudan                          Africa          65
=194th    Bhutan                               Asia            64
=194th    Brunei                               Asia            64
=196th    Martinique                           North America   57
=196th    Vanuatu                              Oceania         57
198th     American Samoa                       Oceania         47
199th     Seychelles                           Africa          45
200th     British Virgin Islands               North America   40
201st     Tuvalu                               Oceania         36
202nd     Macau                                Asia            33
203rd     Mongolia                             Asia            29
204th     San Marino                           Europe          27
205th     Eritrea                              Africa          26
206th     Andorra                              Europe          21
207th     Turks & Caicos Islands               North America   20
208th     Anguilla                             North America   18
209th     Cook Islands                         Oceania         14
210th     Tonga                                Oceania         12
211th     Bahamas                              North America   9
=212th    Gibraltar                            Europe          7
=212th    Samoa                                Oceania         7
214th     Somalia                              Africa          6
=215th    Northern Mariana Islands             Asia            0
=215th    Djibouti                             Africa          0

[mark wilson27]

CFuller well done on another brilliant story. To say this has been a top class and well written story would be an understatement.

Looking forward to seeing you have up your sleeve next