The lineup for the final phase of the UEFA Nations League this season has been completed after 2010 World Cup winners Spain sealed the fourth and final spot via the only slot available from Group A2.
NATIONS LEAGUE FINAL PHASE LINEUP COMPLETED
INTER HANDED UCL GROUP OF DEATH
Italian Serie A giants Inter Milan have been handed a very difficult group after the UEFA Champions League (UCL) group stage draw was held on Thursday in Istanbul, Turkey. The Italians have a big battle on their hands if they are to make out of the group stage into the last 16.
DE LIGT SCORES ON BAYERN DEBUT
Young Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt made an instant impact for new club Bayern Munich after he found the back of the net as a substitute in the 6-2 win over MLS team D.C. United on Wednesday night. It was his first game for the reigning German Bundesliga winners since his big move from Juventus in the Italian Serie A. De Ligt was unveiled as a new Bayern Munich player a few days ago after the Germans agreed a deal worth €80m for him. The five-time European champions will pay an initial fee of €70m for de Ligt plus €10m in add-ons.
De Ligt has made one of the biggest moves in the transfer market this summer and it’s expected to boost his status in the Dutch team under manager Louis Van Gaal ahead of the World Cup 2022 tournament. The new Bayern Munich defender is presently not a guaranteed starter for the Dutch team with the World Cup 2022 tournament in Qatar just some months away. The transfer to Bayern Munich could help his chances to earn a starting XI spot alongside Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijkat the heart of the Dutch defenceat the World Cup 2022 tournament in November/December this year. Read More “DE LIGT SCORES ON BAYERN DEBUT”
THE 8 2018 WORLD CUP COUNTRIES THAT FAILED TO QUALIFY FOR QATAR
All 32 finalists for the 2022 World Cup have now been confirmed and the countdown to the finals can now begin in earnest. But, while the lucky competing nations ready their plans, a number of countries that participated in 2018 will be watching from the sidelines this year. While Italy were the headline failure during this year’s qualification process, the Azzurri weren’t present last time around either. But there were eight countries that played in Russia that won’t be taking part in 2022 and we’ve identified them here.
Colombia
Colombia were one of the best things about Brazil 2014 – ‘Hamez’ Rodriguez, colourful fans and sexy football – and their 3-0 demolition of Poland four years later was one of the standout performances of the last World Cup. Read More ” THE 8 2018 WORLD CUP COUNTRIES THAT FAILED TO QUALIFY FOR QATAR”
CAMEROON WORLD CUP GROUP REVEALED
African Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2021 hosts Cameroon will represent the continent at the World Cup 2022 tournament in Qatar alongside four others. Apart from Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal are the other African representatives ahead of the World Cup 2022 tournament in Qatar. The Cameroonians suffered a major heartbreak when they lost to Egypt on penalties in the semifinals as they failed to host and win the AFCON tournament. However, the qualifying for the World Cup 2022 tournament in Qatar was able to soften the blow of not winning the recently concluded AFCON tournament on home soil.
Cameroon sealed their place in Qatar by beating Algeria via the away goals rule. They were able to recover from the blow of losing the first leg at home. The five-time African champions were beaten 1-0 at home in the first leg before securing a 2-1 win at the home of Algeria in the second leg to secure their spot in Qatar by virtue of scoring more away goals than their opponents. Read More “CAMEROON WORLD CUP GROUP REVEALED”
MORENO LEADSGOLDEN BOOT RACE
Bolivian striker Marcelo Moreno didn’t score in his last two World Cup 2022 qualifiers in the South American region, but he has been able to hold off the likes of Luis Suarez of Uruguay,Brazilian star Neymar and Argentine skipper Lionel Messi till date to lead the Golden Boot. Moreno is leading the Golden Boot race in the South American section of the qualifiers for the World Cup 2022 tournament with 10 goals.
DIAZ ON TARGET IN CRUCIAL VICTORY
New Liverpool signing Luiz Diaz was on target for Colombia in a must-win home game over Bolivia in the South American qualifying section for the World Cup 2022 tournament on Qatari soil. Colombia came into the Bolivia game knowing that anything other than a win could eliminate them from the running in the quest to qualify for the World Cup 2022 tournament and they were able to achieve their target in a comprehensive manner.
The aforementioned Diaz scored the first goal for Colombia against the Bolivians on the way to a 3-0 win. With the game heading for a goalless draw at the half-time interval, Diaz broke the deadlock with six first half minutes left. The Colombians went on to score two more goals in the second half to record a more comprehensive victory. Miguel Borja and Matheus Uribe were the goalscorers for Colombia in the second half. Read More “DIAZ ON TARGET IN CRUCIAL VICTORY”
WILL ERIKSEN PLAY FOR DENMARK IN QATAR?
There is huge uncertainty surrounding Christian Eriksen’s eligibility to play for his country at this year’s edition of the FIFA World Cup taking place in Qatar. The former Inter Milan midfielder scared the entire footballing world after he unfortunately collapsed during a UEFA Euros 2020 match between Denmark and Finland last year. Eriksen was seen battling to remain on foot before finally falling to the ground but thankfully got help almost immediately. His teammate at international level, Simon Kjaer, was quick to respond to the former Tottenham star before he was attended to by the medical team.
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DEPAY, KANE WIN GOLDEN BOOT
Barcelona attacker Memphis Depay and his Tottenham Hotspur counterpart Harry Kane have won the Golden Boot Award in the first round of the European qualifiers for the World Cup 2022 tournament in Qatar. The two players scored 12 goals each for their respective countries to finish ahead of the other players involved with their countries on the European football stage.
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CHILE IN SUCCESSIVE W/CUP QUALIFYING WINS
Two-time South American champions Chile have made it back-to-back wins for the first time in the World Cup 2022 qualifiers after they thrashed bottom team Venezuela 3-0 in Santiago on Thursday night. The two straight wins have been recorded on the back of a run of seven games without victory.
Ahead of the rescheduled matchday five clash at home to Paraguay, Chile had not won since beating Peru at home on matchday three. The Chileans drew three times and lost four times over the course of the seven-game winless run. The run came to an end thanks to a 2-0 victory during the abovementioned encounter with the Paraguayans. After a goalless affair in the first half, Chile scored twice in three second half minutes to seal only their second win as far as the World Cup 2022 qualifying campaign is concerned in the South American section. Read More “CHILE IN SUCCESSIVE W/CUP QUALIFYING WINS”