Manager Fernando Santos Benched Cristiano Ronaldo For This Reason

Portugal won its Round of 16 match against Switzerland by a comfortable 6-1 margin and marched into the quarter-finals with flying colors. But all wasn’t well with the winning team. Portuguese manager Fernando Santos sent Cristiano Ronaldo to the bench for the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 game.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Cristiano Ronaldo was sent to the bench by his manager Fernando Santos
• Earlier the managers of Juventus and Manchester United had made the similar decision

What Went Wrong Between Portuguese Captain And Manager?

It would have been tough for Fernando Santos to make the big call of dropping Cristiano Ronaldo to the bench in an important knockout match but the decision made no impact on the team’s performance. And it wasn’t the first time that Ronaldo was sent to the bench.

What Football Pundits Have To Say About Ronaldo’s Dropping?

Manager Fernando Santos Benched Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo was earlier dropped by Juventus and Manchester United managers. The latest incident was with Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag. It was said that Erik Ten Hag tried to make a move on Ronaldo. The manager tried to establish his authority over Ronaldo.

Neville, who has played alongside Ronaldo for a brief period at Manchester United, said on ITV that was Jeventus manager wrong. Was Manchester United’s manager wrong? Was Portugal’s manager wrong? He blamed Ronaldo’s indifferent attitude towards Santos for the incident.

But the former Manchester United player also tried to defend Ronaldo by saying that Ronaldo’s long-term legacy was set. He called Ronaldo one of the great all-time players. He further said that in the short term, Ronaldo had got to do a lot better. He said that the … Read the rest

FIFA Shares Stunning Facts About Stadium 974

Stadium 974 in Doha has been in news well before the FIFA World Cup shared 360-degree footage of Stadium 974 on its Twitter page. Qatar built seven stadiums in the run-up to the sporting event and Stadium 974 is one of them.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Stadium 974 is made completely with recycled shipping containers
• It is the first-ever re-purpose built stadium in the history of the FIFA World Cup
• It will be fully dismantled and re-purposed post-World Cup

What Did FIFA Want To Show With 360-Degree Footage Of Stadium 974?

FIFA Shares Stunning Facts About Stadium 974

It is for the first time that FIFA World Cup has been held in the Middle East. And the desert country is ready for the sports extravaganza. Qatar built seven stadiums including Stadium 974 but used only recycled containers in building this facility. Also, it is named 974 which is the international dialing code of the desert nation. Also, all containers shipped from Gulf use 974 as a code.

Located in Ras Abu Aboud in the portside area of Doha, Stadium 974 is the only non-air-conditioned stadium in the desert country. And it is exciting to know why it isn’t made air-conditioned. The cool breezes coming from the Arabian Gulf keep it cool.

Stadium 974 has a sitting capacity of 44,089 audiences. The website tells that it will be used for seven matches with the last match played on December 5. Brazil v/s South Korea was the last World Cup match in … Read the rest

Angel Di Maria Said Only Lionel Messi Could Do This

Argentina’s 2-0 win over Mexico hadn’t been an easy affair for Lionel Scaloni’s boys as they had been struggling till the second half when Lionel Messi snatched an opportunity to take a 1-0 lead over El Tri. While it was a loose shot, Messi knew how to turn it into a goal.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Argentina beat Mexico 2-0 in a hard-won game
• Argentina has to win the next game with Poland to qualify for World Cup

Let’s see the goal from Angel Di Maria’s eyes….

Di Maria opened up about the first goal as he was the key player who passed the ball to the desired place and time for Messi to send the ball past the net.

Angel Di Maria’s

Di Maria praised his captain by saying “I threw him a turd, but he always finds solutions to everything.” He further said that Messi found an opportunity in Mexico’s defensive plan and him to pass Messi the ball in a certain situation and Messi knew how to make a goal from that spot.

Messi reached outside the penalty box and waited for the pass. Di Maria passed the ball at the right time and Messi turned it into a goal getting a 1-0 lead over Mexico. Later, Enzo Fernandes the second goal from the left corner of the penalty box and sealed the win for Argentina.

Di Maria further opened up that they had spoken before. After Argentina found it difficult to score a goal against Mexico, they strategized to get a goal. Maria said that Mexicans were deep and narrow inside the area and the space in front of them was open to snatch an … Read the rest

Chelsea Created History By Sending Both Its Teams In The Champions League Final

Chelsea reached the Champions League final by beating Real Madrid with 2-0 goals at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. It was their first after 2012 and a historic moment for Chelsea as both of their teams – men’s and women’s – have reached the Champions League final. Chelsea women’s team beat Bayern Munich in their semifinal match on Sunday.

Who were the goal scorers?

Timo Werner and Mason Mount scored the goals for Chelsea and pushed their team to the final where they will face Manchester City. But there is much time to practice for that crucial match.

Werner could score his goal earlier when he was in possession of the ball in the 18th minute. He tapped the ball from Ben Chilwell’s cross but was offside at that time. But Mount made no mistake when he shot the second goal in 85th minute.

Chelsea’s goalkeeper Edouard Mendy also played a role in keeping Real Madrid away from victory. He pulled off a superb save from Karim Benzema when he took a shot at the box. Moments later Mendy again saved a goal from Benzema.

What excuse did Zinedine Zidane give for the defeat?

Los Blancos boss Zinedine Zidane defended his team. He had provided Eden Hazard an opportunity in his team. Hazard returned back to the team but failed to make an impact on the match. Zidane said that Hazard should keep playing to improve his game. Zidane admitted that his tactic didn’t work in the semifinal match.

How Thomas Tuchel shared his happiness?

The Chelsea manager said that they could have won with a much larger score, but he congratulated his team and all … Read the rest

Southampton Makes Way For Leicester City To Reach FA Cup Final On May 15

Leicester City defeated Southampton with a narrow margin of 1 goal but it booked a slot in the FA Cup final where The Foxes will play with Chelsea. The final match will be played on May 15 at Wembley. Chelsea has already reached the FA Cup final by defeating Manchester City with 1-0 in the other semi-final on Saturday.

Who scored the only goal for Leicester City?

Kelechi Iheanacho was the only goal scorer of the match, but only in the second half of the match. The Foxes have never won FA Cup but this time they have better chances to win the cup. They played well in the semi-final and won the match.

Jamie Vardy made a superb attempt at the goal but failed to make the mark as his shot was far wide of the goal post. He was caught behind the Saints defense when he took the shot that looked hurried. But he was instrumental in making the only goal of the match.

How Kelechi Iheanacho scored the goal?

It was a bit of luck and assistant by Jamie Vardy that Kelechi Iheanacho was able to turn the opportunity into a goal. With this goal, he became the highest goal-scoring African player in the FA Cup. It was his 14th goal in the competition and his closest competitor Chelsea’s Didier Drogba has only 12 goals.

Final match under the shadow of pandemic

The final match will be played with a limited number of audiences at Wembley. But the entire world will see the match on their television screens.

Source:- https://bit.ly/3ssMA0Q

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Harry Kane Is The Winner Of The Everton VS Tottenham Draw Match

It was a thrilling draw between Everton and Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park on Friday night when both the teams have to satisfy with equal points. But it was an interesting match though.

Two players scored four goals of the match

The thrilling point in the match came in the 25th minute when Harry Kane threw the ball into the goal leaving Everton keeper Jordan Pickford surprised about his move. But it was a short-lived job as Gylfi Sigurðsson equaled the score in the 31st minute. It was a penalty for the foul play by Sergio Reguilon on James Rodriguez. The first half ended with a 1-1 score.

Both the teams exhibited their eagerness to get a lead and it was Everton who first took the lead in the 62nd minute. Gylfi Sigurðsson again displayed amazing football in taking his team up 2-1 in the game. Now the pressure started building on Tottenham.

Harry Kane took the shot to the goal to equal the score and make a personal record. He scored his 20th and 21st goals of the season in the Premier League. Also, it was the fifth time that he passed 20 goals in a season. With these goals, he became the frontrunner in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot followed by Mohamed Salah with 19 goals.

What is the outcome of the match?

Everton stands at eighth place with 49 points and Tottenham Hotspur is at seventh place with 50 points. Harry Kane was also injured in the game.

Source:- https://bit.ly/2QuX1nk

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Manchester United Enters European League Semifinals But Worried About AS Roma

Manchester United secured a place in the European League semifinals by beating Granada 2-0. It will now face AS Roma that seems a tough nut to crack. Also, the United manager has admitted that AS Roma had lots of history.

What did the Manchester United manager say about AS Roma?

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praised AS Roma while saying that it was a club with lots of history. He said that United were in the semifinals and it felt like a property European tie because of AS Roma. But he exhibited confidence in his team by saying that they had done well against Italian sides before. He further said that they were going into that hoping to get to the final. If they could finish the season with a trophy that would be great, maintained Solskjaer.

How is the United manager preparing for the upcoming matches?

Solskjaer allowed Marcus Rashford to recuperate from his foot injury. The manager wants the striker to get ready for the Burnley clash on 18th April, Sunday. Also, he took Paul Pogba off after the French midfielder got booked at halftime. Solskjaer said that Paul went into a couple of tackles even after getting a yellow card. But Solskjaer didn’t want to risk his midfielder.

How United players rate AS Roma?

Bruno Fernandes was confident that United would beat AS Roma. He said that every team gave problems. The Portugal midfielder also said that AS Roma had a good organization defensively and they could create problems offensively.

Source:- https://bit.ly/3smN3l7

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Man City Reaches Champions League Semifinals

Manchester City entered the semi-final of the Champions League by beating Borussia Dortmund with 2-1. Man City will take on Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals.

How Man City emerged victorious?

It is the first-time in six years that Man City has reached the semi-final stage in the Champions League reached the semifinals but it wasn’t an easy win for Man City. They were trailing by one goal till the second half when Riyad Mahrez scored an equal on the 55th minute. But Man City did fairly well in the second half when they kept possession of the ball and built pressure on Dortmund.

The first goal of the match was a record….

Jude Bellingham was quick to score the first goal for Dortmund in the 15th minute into the game. With this goal, the teenager became the youngest UCL scorer at the age 17 years. He broke the record of U.S. international Christian Pulisic.

Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan praised Dortmund….

Ilkay Gundogan called Dortmund a deserving club and team. He said that they were grateful for being in a great competition, reaching the semifinals for the first time with that team. The midfielder also said that Dortmund had a lot of quality and they can beat everyone on a good day.

Joy for Man City manager….

Man City manager Guardiola reached his eighth Championship League semifinals as a coach. Also, it is his first with an English club. He equaled the record of Jose Mourinho.

Source:- https://bit.ly/3wXefuc

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Watch Barcelona VS Valladolid La Liga Match Live From Camp Nou At 3 PM ET

FC Barcelona will host Valladolid at Camp Nou in a La Liga match today. The match starts at 3 p.m. ET and can be enjoyed on beIN Sports. Also, you can watch it for free in a live stream on fuboTV.

Match summary

FC Barcelona stands in the third position with 62 points after Real Madrid won the match with Eibra on Saturday. But Valladolid is on the bottom of the table in 16th place. With only 10 matches remaining, the La Liga season has also come to an end. The Blaugrana are chasing Atletico Madrid that is at the top of the league with 64 points but the chasing window is fast closing for FC Barcelona.

FC Barcelona

The Blaugrana are on a five-game winning streak with the recent 6-1 win against Real Sociedad. Lionel Messi has proved to be the most successful player for them as he has assisted in building attacks in all the matches. Their American wingback Sergino Dest also scored well. Gerard Pique’s return also bodes well for FC Barcelona but is unlikely to play Pique for today’s match but will save him for Catalonians.

Valladolid

While it stands at the bottom of the table, it has remained undefeated in the last four matches. And it recently drew a match with 1-1 against Sevilla. Just two points away from relegation, the club will put their best efforts to escape relegation in the remaining 10 matches.

Match prediction

FC Barcelona will continue with its winning streak and win the match against this bottom-table team. Pick: Barcelona 3 and Valladolid 0.

Source:- https://bit.ly/3dxsVas

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Underperforming England Defeats Poland With 2-1

England won its World Cup qualifying match with Poland 2-1 but it was a very closely contested match as England could score the winning goal only in the last minutes of the game.

How were the three goals of the match scored?

The first goal came early in the 19th minute when England got a first-half penalty that Harry Kane turned into a goal for England. The second goal was scored in the 58th minute by Jakub Moder. It was an equalizer for Poland. The third goal was the winning stroke at the 85th minute. Harry Maguire played the ball towards the goalpost of Poland.

Here’re the players’ ratings

Nick Pope – 6

The English goalkeeper had three clean sheets before Jordan Moder shot the only goal for Poland but it was more an error of John Stones than Pope.

Kyle Walker – 6

He is the most competent and reliable player for the right-back slot in the English squad. According to experts, Walker is less adventurous at his position but he is relatively untroubled.

John Stones – 5

He is back in the squad after a roller-coaster World Cup career. It seems that his good time has started but his mistake that became an opportunity for Poland reminded his peers about his old failings.

Harry Maguire – 7

A dependable player, Maguire is a certainty in defense and is able to play the ball high up and towards the goal as he displayed in the Wednesday match. Harry Maguire played the winning shot for England.

Source:- https://bit.ly/2PKvOwz

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