Lionel Messi s quest for an elusive World Cup triumph is just one step from completion after he inspired Argentina to a 3-0 win over Croatia on Tuesday that secured their place in the final.
Croatia had proven stern opposition when eliminating Brazil in the previous round, but they crashed out at Lusail Stadium as Argentina continued their impressive record of never losing a World Cup semi-final.
Messi was key, putting Argentina ahead from the penalty spot to become his country s all-time leading World Cup goalscorer with 11, then playing a role in Julian Alvarez s somewhat fortuitous second.
There was nothing lucky about Argentina s third goal in the second half, as Messi s brilliant solo run teed up Alvarez to put the game beyond doubt.
3 Lionel Messi i…
Former Turkey and Galatasaray defender Ahmet Calik has died in a car accident at the age of 27.
The news of his death was announced by Super Lig club Konyaspor, for whom Calik had been playing this season.
Calik joined Konyaspor from Galatasaray in 2020 and wore the number six shirt for the top-flight team.
Newspaper Hurriyet reported Calik s car came off the road between Ankara and Nigde.
Turkish media broadcast footage of a car said to have been the one driven by Calik, lying in a crumpled state in a field.
Konyaspor said: We are deeply saddened by the loss of our football player Ahmet Calık, who has won the love of our fans and our city since the first day he came to Konyaspor.
Condolences to all of us, especially to the family of o…
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta revealed he could substitute his goalkeepers during future Premier League matches after his side’s 1-0 win at Everton.
Arteta handed summer loan signing David Raya his debut in place of England keeper Aaron Ramsdale at Goodison Park and the Spaniard saw little action as Leandro Trossard’s solitary second-half strike proved decisive.
When asked about his decision to start with Raya, Gunners head coach Arteta said: “The same rationale about why Fabio (Vieira) played here or Eddie (Nketiah) or Gabriel Jesus.
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“I haven’t had a single question on why Gabriel Jesus didn’t start. He has won more trophies than anybody else, including me, in that dressing room.”
Arteta, wh…
Atletico Madrid right-back Kieran Trippier does not want to join Manchester United in the summer transfer window, according to . Premier League giants United are monitoring the 30-year-old, but the England international does not want to make the move to Old Trafford and Spanish champions Atletico themselves do not want to sell him either.
Trippier joined Atletico from Tottenham in the summer of 2019. The right-back has played well for the La Liga outfit for the past two seasons and helped them win the title in 2020-21. The right=back has also played in the Champions League for Diego Simeone’s side.
Atletico are a massive club who will play in the Champions League next season and will also be aiming to win the La Liga title for the year in a row. It would make sense fo…
Florian Wirtz can roar back to action for Germany for the World Cup and end a testing year by starring at Qatar 2022, according to Oliver Bierhoff.
The 18-year-old attacking midfielder sustained a major knee injury during Bayer Leverkusen s defeat by FC Koln earlier this month, with a torn anterior cruciate ligament guaranteeing a long-term absence.
But speaking at a news conference ahead of friendlies against Israel and Netherlands, national team managing director Bierhoff believes Wirtz has both the incentive and the physical attributes that mean his prospects are positive.
The teenager has already earned four senior caps for Germany, having made his debut last September after dazzling at club level.
There is no doubt Wirtz is a beneficiary from the W…
West Ham United are interested in signing Amine Gouiri from Nice in the summer transfer window, according to. It has been reported by the Italian news outlet that Premier League outfit West Ham are among the clubs who are keeping tabs on Gouiri.
Gouiri has been on the books of Nice since the summer of 2020 when he joined from French rivals Lyon. The 22-year-old striker has made 21 starts and four substitute appearances in Ligue 1 so far this season, scoring 10 goals and providing seven assists in the process. The Nice no. 11 scored 12 goals and gave seven assists in 31 league starts during the 2020-21 campaign. The striker also scored four goals in five Europa League matches last season.
West Ham are fifth in the Premier League table at the moment with 42 points from 26…
Free agent Emmanuel Adebayor has slammed Lyon and the club s coach Bruno Genesio for pulling out of a move to sign him, describing their explanation as a ridiculous excuse .
The Togo striker, who last played for Crystal Palace, flew in for talks with Genesio on Friday after the boss at Parc OL had indicated a deal was close to completion.
However, Lyon announced they had decided to back out of the move on Saturday, citing Adebayor s involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations next year and his ineligibility for the Champions league group stage as their reasons.
But the 32-year-old – formerly of Metz, Monaco, Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham and Real Madrid – hit out at that statement, saying he felt shocked by his treatment and some strange questioning from G…
Goalkeeper Diego Benaglio announced his retirement from the Switzerland national team on Wednesday.
Benaglio, 30, had been Switzerland s number one keeper since Pascal Zuberbuehler retired in 2008 and started all four of the country s matches at the World Cup in Brazil.
But after 61 caps following his debut in 2006, Benaglio decided to call time on his international career as he turns his attention to the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg.
First of all, I m not getting any younger and want to focus more on my club career, Benaglio said in a statement released by the Swiss Football Association.
I m in good shape, but once you re over 30, you need just a little bit more time to recover than you used to.
I also want to spend more time with my family.
…
Everton are interested in signing Harry Maguire from Premier League rivals Manchester United in the January transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Maguire is struggling for playing time at the moment, and that the Toffees could try to bring him to Goodison Park in the middle of the season.
Maguire is a peripheral figure at United at the moment and is unlikely to get into the first team anytime soon. The 30-year-old England international central defender has played just 23 minutes in the Premier League and has played just once in the Carabao Cup for Erik ten Hag’s side so far this campaign.
Everton are 15th in the Premier League table at the moment with four points from six matches, just three points above the relegation zone. Meanwhile, United cur…
Jeonbuk Motors won the AFC Champions League for a second time on Saturday, overcoming Al Ain 3-2 on aggregate after a 1-1 draw in the second leg of the final.
Han Kyo-won put the South Korean visitors in front on the half-hour mark at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Lee Myung-joo levelling for the home team just minutes later.
Douglas then missed a penalty that would have levelled the aggregate scores and, during a tense second half, Al Ain proved unable to force the goal they needed to take the game to extra-time, leaving Jeonbuk to lift the continental crown again, 10 years on from their first success in this format of the competition.
Jeonbuk opened the scoring, largely against the run of play, when Han, on as an early substitute for the injured Ricardo Lopes, thun…