Argentine captain Lionel Messi fronts defeat argentina saudi-arabia spt intl
Fans came in droves to watch Messi put on a show in what is sure to be his last tournament, as the South American side was expected to brush aside its opponent.
But the Argentine captain was overshadowed by arguably the biggest upset in World Cup history and, as Saudi Arabia celebrated its win, Messi trudged down the tunnel with a face of thunder.
As many of his teammates stormed past reporters on the way to the team bus, Messi was one of two players to speak to the media – the other being goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez.
In the grand scheme of the tournament, a loss in the opening match isn’t necessarily the end of the world – after all, Spain won the 2010 World Cup after losing its opening match of the tournament to Switzerland.
Argentina will likely qualify for the knockout rounds if it wins its games against Poland and Mexico, but the loss felt especially bad at home.
As they were making their way to the game, many wore blue and white shirts and sang Messi’s name as he made his debut in the game with a penalty.
The Argentine players looked to Messi whenever they got the ball. If he didn’t demand the ball himself, Messi would often orchestrate the play by pointing to where he wanted the ball to go.
But despite flashes of brilliance, he couldn’t find the space in order to change the game. The Argentine fans were down in their seats at the very end of the game, and the Saudi fans were singing Messi’s name.
The fans who left the stadium took the Metro back to the city where they continued their celebrations.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/23/football/lionel-messi-fronts-defeat-argentina-saudi-arabia-spt-intl/index.html
The Moroccan national team won a game against Portugal on Wednesday during the first day of the Muslim World Cup: The Atlas Lions are qualified for the semi-FINALS of the world cup! BRAVO MOROCCO
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud subsequently ordered a national public holiday for Wednesday as the world came to terms with such an unexpected result.
“They made us happy and proud and they proved that they can make it to the final. Why not? We are so proud of this team that is supported by Africa and Arabs” said Siham Motahir, a young woman in Rabat where cafes had filled with fans to watch the game.
African Union President Macky Sall used capital letters on the social networking site to emphasize his excitement. THE ATLAS LIONS ARE QUALIFIED FOR THE SEMI-FINALS OF THE WORLD CUP! BRAVO MOROCCO.”
As the game was winding down, fans from Morocco shouted “Ole, Ole, Ole!” In unison they drowned out the few Portuguese fans and whistling when Portugal took control of the ball.
The man in the red and green of Morocco national flag and football kit shouted “O God, o God” as the last minutes wound down.
The fan stood motionless, looking out over the pitch with his hands over his mouth, as if unable to believe that his team had just won the game.
One fan, Samir Saqri, said that the last few minutes felt like hours, as he joined a crowd of other fans in pouring out from a cafe.
Morocco isn’t done yet with the 2022 World Cup: a victory for the first African nation to reach the quarterfinals?
Morocco isn’t done yet at the 2022 World Cup. The pride of Africa and the Arab world defeated yet another European powerhouse to reach the semifinals with a 1-0 victory over Portugal.
The game’s only goal came just before halftime in the 42nd minute when Morocco’s Yahya Attiat-Allah lofted a ball in front of the Portugal goal and Youssef En-Nesyri soared high and headed it down past the keeper. En-Nesyri is the first Moroccan player to score at two World Cups.
Why has it taken the African nation so long to have this kind of success? “The competition is very high. And football has become like an industry. “If we spent the same amount of money as other countries, we’d be better than Brazil or Argentina.”
Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/12/10/1142077790/portugal-morocco-world-cup-quarterfinals-qatar
CR7’s absence in the second game at the Sligovic-Switzerland tournament and how he was replaced by Ramos
On the bench for Portugal was star CR7 for the second game in a row. The aging star hasn’t been his usual dominant self at the tournament but he is one of the finest to ever play the sport. His replacement Gonçalo Ramos, who scored three goals against Switzerland, didn’t make much of a mark. The player was taken out of the game in the 51st minute. As he was leaving the field, he wiped away tears.