The Nation Newspaper

Category: World Cup Russia 2018

World Cup 2018

  • World Cup: France 1-0 Peru – Mbappe the match-winner

    • France 1-0 Peru
    • Kylian Mbappe the matchwinner.

    France advance from Group C into the knockout stages, Peru advance to the airport to fly back home.

    Peru will be out of the World Cup if they fail to avoid defeat.

    A France win would ensure they join Russia and Uruguay in the last-16 of the competition.

    Team News – France

    Lloris, Pavard, Varane, Umtiti, Lucas, Pogba, Kante, Mbappe, Griezmann, Matuidi, Giroud.
    Subs: Mandanda, Kimpembe, Lemar, Dembele, Tolisso, Nzonzi, Rami, Fekir, Sidibe, Thauvin, Mendy, Areola.

    Team News – Peru

    Gallese, Advincula, Ramos, Rodriguez, Trauco, Aquino, Yotun, Carrillo, Cueva, Flores, Guerrero.
    Subs: Caceda, Corzo, Santamaria, Araujo, Hurtado, Farfan, Ruidiaz, Tapia, Polo, Cartagena, Loyola, Carvallo.

    Referee:

    Mohammed Abdulla Hassan (United Arab Emirates)

  • Messi is better than Maradona, says Ramos

    Spain captain, Sergio Ramos has responded to a putdown from Argentina great Diego Maradona by making an unlikely declaration of admiration for Lionel Messi.

    Messi is his usual enemy as the talisman of Real Madrid’s arch-rivals Barcelona.

    Maradona, his country’s 1986 World Cup-winning captain, remarked this week that “Ramos is no superstar, the real superstar defender is Diego Godin” when comparing Spain’s serial-winner Ramos with the Uruguay captain.

    Read Also: Russia 2018: Nigerians react to Super Eagles lost against Croatia

    Ramos was asked what he made of Maradona’s comments after Spain’s 1-0 World Cup Group B win over Iran, and chose to praise Messi, who has led Barcelona to numerous wins over Real Madrid.

    “I respect Maradona because he is an all-time great; I think he was a star.

    “But I’ll also tell you that Argentine football knows Maradona is light years behind their number one player, which is Messi,” Ramos said.

    Messi, who lost the last World Cup final to Germany as captain of Argentina, missed a penalty in his side’s 1-1 draw with Iceland.

    He is under pressure to propel his side to victory over Group D leaders Croatia on Thursday.

     

     

  • W/Cup: Ondo viewing centre ready for Nigeria, Iceland cracker

    Some relaxation and viewing centres in Okitipupa, Ondo State, say they are ready to host fans for the Super Eagles and Iceland match on Friday in the ongoing World Cup in Russia.

    A check by our reporter on Thursday in Okitipupa revealed that relaxation centres have stocked beers, pepper soup, serviced their electricity generators, wall screen TV’s and properly arranged their centres.

    The operators who spoke with the News men said they made good sales during the Nigeria versus Croatia match which informed their decision to prepare well for the Eagles and Iceland match.

    They urged football fans across the country to rally support and pray for the Eagles to triumph to the next round.

    Mr Ayo Sehindemi, a relaxation centre operator, told our reporter that football fans were left with no option than to patronise them since Okitipupa and its environs had been in total blackout for the past four years.

    Read Also: World Cup: Don’t give up on Super Eagles, Ekweremadu urges Nigerians

    He told the News men that his sales had increased since the beginning of the World Cup, especially during the Nigeria/Croatia match.

    “You know this town does not have electricity for the past four years, so we are expecting more football fans here and that is why we are preparing to welcome more customers,’’ Sehindemi said.

    Another operator, Mr Ade Famorisin, who also said he recorded high sales during the last Nigeria/Croatia match, said he was putting finishing touches to his preparations.

    “Many of the football lovers preferred relaxation centres to watch football for them to exchange views; the more they come, the better for us,’’ Famorisin said.

    Mrs Ann Ahmed, who regretted her out-of-stock problem on Nigeria’s match, said she was fully prepared for the Nigeria/Iceland match.

    “I pray that Nigeria would excel in tomorrow’s match because we will have more customers when they win,’’ she said.

    Mr Peter Babajide, a viewing centre operator, said his sales increased since the beginning of the World Cup and urged Nigerians to pray for the Eagles to win their match against Iceland.

    Another viewing centre operator, Emeka Ifeanyi, also said that he had serviced his electricity generator and ensured that everything was in order, noting that he was optimistic the Eagles would win against Iceland.

    “The Eagles technical crew should do their best, I support Eagles because if they did not win this crucial match, then it’s the end of the road for us to record high sales,’’ Ifeanyi said.

    The News men reports that Eagles have zero point because they lost 2-0 to Croatia in their first Group D encounter.

    Their match against Iceland on Friday will determine their fate at the ongoing World Cup.

  • FIFA fines Mexico, Serbia over fans’ misbehaviour

    The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed a 10,000 Swiss Francs fine on both the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) and the Serbian Football Federation for the misconduct of their fans.

    FIFA said in a statement on Thursday that the disciplinary measure, which was in line with article 67 of its Disciplinary Code, was in relation to discriminatory and insulting chants by the fans.

    The Mexicans committed the offence during the first half of the 2018 FIFA World Cup match played between Germany and Mexico on Sunday at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Group F opening match ended 1-0 in favour of Mexico.

    “The decision was passed after a thorough assessment of the relevant match reports, the FMF’s precedents and the evidence provided.

    “The evidence included videotapes of the incidents and examples of certain sustainable actions taken by the FMF to raise awareness among its supporters.

    “Moreover, the Disciplinary Committee gave a warning to the FMF, who may face additional sanctions in case of repeated infringements of this type,’’ the committee said in the statement.

    The Disciplinary Committee, chaired by a Ghanaian, Yeboah Anin, also sanctioned the Serbian Football Association with a fine of 10,000 Swiss Francs for the display of an offensive and political banner by Serbian fans.

    This reportedly occurred during the Group E match played between Serbia and Costa Rica on Sunday at the Samara Arena.

    The committee added that it took its decisions after analysing all specific circumstances of each case.

    “These, in particular, were the match officials’ reports, the position adopted by the association (if any), as well as the relevant evidence available.

    “This included the report of the anti-discrimination match observers, who have been deployed for the first time at a FIFA World Cup,’’ it said.

    FIFA has a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination and has stated it would not tolerate such behaviour from fans in the stadium.

    A series of measures to fight discrimination and promote diversity have been implemented, including an anti-discrimination monitoring system, which has been active since 2015.

    “This has been in place to observe and report on all 871 matches of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and all matches of the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup,’’ the committee said in the statement.

    Furthermore, FIFA has published a Good Practice Guide on Diversity and Anti-Discrimination to support all of its member associations.

    “In general terms, FIFA calls on all fans to come to the stadiums in a spirit of unity, peace and friendship,’’ the committee added.

  • Nigerians in Russia task Eagles to beat Iceland

    Nigerians in St. Petersburg have urged the Super Eagles to go all out for outright victory against Iceland in their second group D encounter on Friday at Volgograd.

    The Super Eagles had earlier suffered a 2 – 0 painful defeat in the hands of Vatreni of Croatia in their first match in Group D on Saturday at Kaliningrad stadium.

    The Nigerians told the News Agency of Nigeria, on Thursday, that the only way to redeem the team’s pre-tournament rating was for the Coach Garnet Rohr tutored side to come out strong against their opponents.

    Celestine Okonkwo, a Nigerian who is in Russia to witness the Mundial said that for Nigeria to remain in contention, the Eagles must up their game and beat Iceland outrightly.

    “Before the competition, a lot of people rated the team to do well, but since they fail to beat Croatia in the first game the only option now is to go all out for victory against Iceland.

    “It will not be too good for the Eagles to crash out of the competition in the first round of the tournament. It is better for the players and the coaching crew to work out a winning formula against their next opponents,’’ he said.

    Read Also: World Cup: Argentina tackles Haiti for Eagles

    Mohammed Abdullaih, another Nigerian, told NAN that the match against Iceland must be won by Super Eagles to redeem not only Nigeria’s image but also that of Africa.

    “After the exit of Egypt and Morocco from the competition, Nigeria must join Senegal to redeem the continent’s image by winning the match against Iceland tomorrow,’’ he said.

    According to him, the team needs to be more aggressive in their opponent’s goal area unlike what happened against Croatia in their first game to achieve their mission.

    Festus Ennahirre, another Nigerian who spoke to NAN, said that the only saving grace for the Eagles would be for the team to win the game against Iceland.

    “It will not only keep them in the competition but also enhance the team’s image and rating.

    “Prior to the competition, a lot of Nigerians at home and abroad expected much from the team, but after the scandalous 0-2 loss to Croatia they appeared disappointed.

    “So the only thing left now is for them to win,’’ the soccer fan said.

    He stressed that anything short of total victory against Iceland would not be acceptable to Nigerians and the followers of the team.

    NAN investigation in the team’s camp revealed that the technical crew led by Coach Rohr have been working hard to ensure that the Eagles come out victorious on Friday.

  • World Cup: IRAN 0-1 SPAIN (Costa, 54)

    IRAN 0-1 SPAIN (Costa, 54)

    Costa scored Spain’s only goal of the encounter in the 54th minute to hand Fernando Hierro’s side their first win of the tournament after their opening 3-3 draw with Portugal last Friday.

    After the win, Costa’s goals tally has increased to three in two games

    Spain will face Morocco in their next game on Monda

    The formidable Spanish front line proved that they have goals in them, with Diego Costa spearheading the attack in the No. 9 role.

    Real call that Costa scored two goals in the 3-3 blockbuster against Portugal in one of the games of the tournament so far, Spain now turn their attention to Iran.

    A rare David De Gea mistake, combined with some CR7 brilliance, kept Portugal within touching distance of the 2010 world champs.

    His fantastic solo effort turned the Portuguese defenders inside out, as he buried his shot past a helpless Rui Patricio.

    Now that he has settled into his new role, Spain coach Fernando Hierro will encourage his players to take valuable points from the likes Iran and Morocco.

    Against top quality opposition, he looked class, so how will he fare against the lower ranked Iran?

    Goal Costa 54th minute

  • Russia 2018: Russia, Uruguay advance to Round of Sixteen

    Uruguay’s lone goal victory over Saudi Arabia ensured that Egypt and Saudi Arabia crashed out of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in group A, with Russia and Uruguay advancing to the knockout stages.

    Luis Suarez scored the only goal at the Rostov Arena, sweeping in from close range on his 100th appearance for La Celeste. This goal made him the first Uruguay player to score in three FIFA World Cups.

    The Green Falcons had a good outing against Uruguay, far better than their 5-0 dismissal performance to Russia on the opening day, they were made to pay for one lapse by goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais, whose misjudgement allowed Suarez to score.

    Read Also: Russia 2018: Messi misses penalty as Iceland hold Argentina

    With this result, Saudi Arabia are without a win in twelve FIFA World Cup matches and in danger of finishing bottom of their group, as they have in all three previous appearances.

    Russia’s 3-1 win over Egypt on Tuesday means both they and Uruguay have collected maximum points from their two Group A games, with Egypt and Saudi Arabia gathering nothing after two matches.

    Russia and Uruguay will meet on Monday, 25th June, to determine whio finishes top and second place in the group, with both hoping to avoid potential opponents, Portugal or Spain in the round of sixteen.

  • World Cup: Eagles train for set-pieces on volleyball court

    Super Eagles players on Wednesday put their heading skills to test as they trained on set pieces ahead of Iceland crucial clash on Friday.

    The Eagles players conducted the training in a chalk drawn volley ball court with three players in each side of the court for their next match at the 45,000 spectators Volgograd Arena.

    They volleyed the ball with their legs and exchanged passes with their heads across an erected pole at the middle of the court on Wednesday morning in training that lasted for hours.

    While William Troost-Ekong (Bursaspor), Tyronne Ebuehi (Ado Den Haag), Elderson Echiejile (Cercle Brugge KSV), were on the left side of the court watching from a video post Ogenyi Onazi (Trabzonspor), Alex Iwobi (Arsenal), and Leon Balogun (Brighton) were on the right side.

    Head coach Gernot Rohr and his assistants were on ground making corrective input as they supervised the session.

    The three-time African champions like other African sides in the ongoing FIFA World Cup have not been able to maximize their set-piece advantage and have also falling prey to poor defensive lapses from corner kicks.

     

  • World Cup: Suarez gives Uruguay lead over Saudi Arabia

    • Uruguay 1-0 Saudi Arabia (4pm)
    • Suarez scores from corner (23)
    • Win sees Uruguay into last 16
    • Suarez, Cavani start in attack

    Hammered by hosts Russia in the opening game, Saudi Arabia need a win to stay in the tournament. Today, they are up against Uruguay’s Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani and co.

    URUGUAY TEAM NEWS

    Team to play Saudi Arabia: Muslera, Varela, Godin, Gimenez, Caceres, Sanchez, Bentancur, Vecino, Rodriguez, Suarez, Cavani.

    SAUDI ARABIA TEAM NEWS

    Team to play Uruguay: Al-Owais, Hawsawi (c), Al-Bulayhi, Al-Burayk, Al-Shahrani, Al-Faraj, Bahbir, Ateef, Al-Jassam, Al-Dawsari, Al-Muwallad

    KEY MATCH STATS

    • Uruguay are looking to win their first two matches of a World Cup tournament for the first time since 1954.
    • Saudi Arabia have failed to score in eight of their last 10 World Cup games.
    • They didn’t have a single shot on target in their opener against Russia.
    • Luis Suarez becomes the sixth Uruguayan to reach 100 caps.

    TODAY’S VENUE

    The Rostov Arena sits on the banks of the Don river one thousand kilometres to the south-east of Moscow. FC Rostov will move in once the tournament.

  • Post match cleanup: Like Japan like Senegal!

     

    You may wonder what Senegal and Japan have in common.  Both are campaigning at the ongoing world cup in Russia and both have won their opening matches. Japan won 2-1 against Colombia and Senegal won 2-1 against Poland, but that is not all.

    Recall that at the last world cup in 2014 in Brazil, Japan lost 2-1 to Ivory Coast at the Arena Pernambuco in Recife.

    But rather than being downcast by the loss, to Didier Drogba and co, the Japanese fans armed with Liners patrolled their side of the stadium and gathered up discarded litter. An open announcement to those who probably don’t understand that football though a competition in which a winner must emerge is also an entertainment that should be enjoyed with animosity

    While gathering waste after a sporting event is customary in Japan, the spectators’ actions came as a shock to football fans from other countries. You could say they had a stake after all the co-hosted the championship with Korea, but African representatives Senegal who only Tuesday showed class by being the first African country competing in Russia to win a match re-enacted what Japanese fans did four years ago by cleaning up the stadium 40 minutes after their match against Poland. The West Africans, who received a lot of accolades on social media following their performance on the pitch, have added more accolades with their cleanup effort.

    The on and off the pitch action of the Senegalese have turned them into the darling of many soccer fans now praying for them to do well in Russia just like they did in Korea/Japan.

    Interestingly both teams will lock horns on June 24th where the Taranga Lions will be hoping to take control of Group H should they earn another victory against Japan. Senegal are appearing in the world cup for the second time their first being in 2002 where the made it all the way to the Quarterfinals announcing their arrival with a 1-0 defeat of France in the opening match.