Some Round of 16 Highlights - FIFA WORLD CUP ENGLAND 2018
In the beginning the two prioritized not to make mistakes but the one who committed them first was Uruguay, when the English goal came at 5th minute, with a great outing of John Stones from the back, with dominated ball, Lingard's opening to the right for Raheem Sterling who returned the ball for the almost unmarked arrival of Dele Alli, who converted with a precise and crossed shot against the right post of the Uruguayan goalkeeper Muslera. It was a good time for England who wasted the chance of 2-0 in the 10th minute at Kane's feet…
From there the game stabilized and Uruguay approached but without generating apparent danger, except for a shot by Luis Suarez just started the second time, after the departure of a corner, which hit the left post of the goalkeeper, and bounced on an English defender to go to the corner ... play on which the Uruguayans asked for the VAR, since they claimed the hand of Stones, but that the referee ignored, but stopped the match 5 minutes ...
England was beginning to feel like it would be a long afternoon, but in the 57th minute, a corner shot from the left to the far post, Muslera came out to anticipate very badly and left Dele Alli surprisingly free to head off ... leaving the 2- 0 for the English. But the Uruguayans would go again and again to the charge, until only five minutes after the second English goal, Cavani with an impeccable free kick over the barrier that left the GK Pickford static, stopped, and saw how the ball entered in. the angle of the right post. From there, the place fell back, but Uruguay was well braked in 3/4 of the field, and the changing development of the match made it more indecipherable, but when the goals came at a time when each didn't seem worthy. But football is not about deserving it, and the team of Le Professeur, passed a test of fire, but now came the always candidate Brazil ...
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Messi was a VIP spectator during the first half, but at halftime something happened ... because he became the fact that we know and fear the rivals, in almost all the second time. The truth is that nobody is encouraged to speak even months after having finished the world cup, on the relationship of manager Marcelo Gallardo and Lio, although in the last round of the Argentine national team to play against Italy in September for the inauguration of the stadium in Santiago del Estero, Messi was not called.
In the second half, the Republic of Ireland, virtual locals, had no reaction ... the figures of Argentina say it all:
GK F. Armani: He had a tremendous cover in a header to Jonathan Walters. Sure in the most demanding of the first half (a shot by Daryl Murphy) and in an incisive center that sought to connect with McClean's head at the beginning of the second half, although Armani had some inaccuracies with his foot.
Walter Kannemann: Heart and short pass. But what great passes: center to Icardi in the 3 to 0 and continuity to Lo Celso in the lethal counter of 1 to 0. In the mark also it was shown with the same lucidity, and by course his goal ... With his touch to the net in the 2 to 0 made his best game in Argentina's team. Spicy as ever, he ran them all.
Giovani Lo Celso: the man emerged from Rosario Central, first of enlistment when Messi disappeared and then playing by right side, took advantage of his vision of game to deepen with their filtered passes and their precise qualifications. At the beginning of the game he scored a break and left-footed shot near a pole. Pure vertigo.
Mauro Icardi: maybe he is still not loved by the historical ones, but the historical ones are less and less ... Relief with the 3 to 0 in which he broke the Irish goal. A good center back to Messi when he turned to activate in Barcelona mode, a header to the goalkeeper's hands and a lot of will.
Lionel Messi: Everything he touches turns him into gold: the thing is when he decides to go out and demanded to win like in the second half and the team answered to him.
The best match the world champion have played so far...Until now Argentina recieved no goals, but the next test Is a character test, and no guarantee of being easy at all...vs Belgium
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KISS ME ... I AM (NORTHERN) IRISH The clover was always an Irish symbol, although it is more related to luck and the Republic of Ireland ... in this case, the luck seemed to finish to the runner-up in Brazil 2014, Germany. Who dominated the 120 minutes, and had about 4 clear goal situations, like against Korea, but did not convert them, and when a fielder after a corner, almost inconsequential, bounced on the left foot of Jonas Hector and became the draw from Northern Ireland, the Germans seemed to go into a rage and go towards victory, but as with the Scottish Tartan Army, the northern Ireland fans pushed their players to believe that luck was on their side, perhaps not the game…
But the moment of truth was the penalties, and Germany, who haven't lost a penalty definition since Round of 16 of Spain '82 against England, this time, fell again ... in England soil ... Until today there are still northern Irish celebrating somewhere in the world ...
Today we all know the crossings and fights between Özil, Low, and the German federation, and the accusations about Neuer ... but at that time there didn't seem to be any of that ...
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By any statistical measure, Scotland dominated Syria at Emirates Stadium in London.. Scotland took 12 shots to Syria’s seven, five on target to Syria’s zero. Scotland took three times as many corner kicks as Syria.
Yet when the referee blew his whistle to end a 1-0 Scotland victory, the all-world Scottish players must have breathed an enormous sigh of relief. And Scottish fans immersed themselves in endless celebrations throughout Scotland and in England as well
Syrian players collapsed onto the turf all around them, disconsolate at not having earned at least a draw.
Syria sat back, frequently putting all 11 men behind the ball, and Scotland continually probed for a breakthrough.
It would not come in the first half, a credit to Syria’s defense, mostly Syria’s defense was compact and organized, snuffing out attacks before they began. Crystal Palace midfielder James McArthur had Scotland’s best chances, as he was able to wriggle free and unleash a few shots. Scotland had just one shot on frame in the first half.
But the dam couldn’t hold forever, and cruelly, Syria was the author of its own demise. In the 73th minute, Snodgrass slotted a ball through to Scott Bown in the box, who tried to turn and get a shot off. Syrian defender Al Masri got to the ball first, but his attempted clearance ricocheted off Brown’s knee and past a helpless Ibrahim Alma.
For a brief moment, as Emirates Stadium erupted all around them, it seemed that Syria had scored. A Syrian free kick was headed off Omar Kharbin, who corralled the loose ball and dispatched it into the back of the net. But after a review by the video assistant referee, it was confirmed that Kharbin was offside. Of course there was controversy and the fact that the referee was American, didn't help to calm the conspiracy theories especially in Syria itself, on the bad intentions to cancel the goal of the hypothetical draw
At the end, Scotland wasn’t so brilliant but this time dominant, brilliant interplay or a satisfying one-two that won it for Scotland — though at times all of those were on display — but Scott Brown’s knee and a lucky bounce. Sometimes that’s what you need…
English players celebrating after the tough match against the always tough Uruguay - Round of 16 - England 2018
Neymar had time to made a fool of himself and to eliminate Mexico...only to face local England in Quarterfinals...
The logical seemed to impose at the begining in Germany vs Norther Ireland in Manchester...
And the miracle happened...Northern Ireland are in...Germany are OUT - Manchester, July 3, 2018
On the other hand...Republic of Ireland didn`t have the same luck against 2014 World Champions...
The saddest moment of Syria, in football terms of course, when the realize their virtual 1-1 was disallowed against Scotland...
Syrian fans, many of the refugees or resident living thoughot Europe, went to support their national teams during all their matches in England 2018...the images of syrians celebrating in the streets surrounded by ruins and a de facto ceasfire, was perhaps the most touching and human of all the images that this World Cup left to us...
