Match Report: England vs Slovakia: 2018 World Cup Qualifying Group F Match Day Eight 5th September 2017 A second-half stunner from young Manchester United prodigy Marcus Rashford completed a stellar comeback for Gareth Southgate’s England last night, as they moved onto the brink of qualification for next summer’s World Cup in Russia. A shock early […]
World Cup
Match Preview: England vs Slovakia: 2018 World Cup Qualifying Group F Match Day Eight
Gareth Southgate’s England welcome a strong Slovakia side to Wembley Stadium in 2018 World Cup Qualifying Group F tonight, with a chance to secure a place at Russia 2018. The Three Lions come into the tie as clear favorites, but knowing that the opponents can more than pack a punch in this top of the […]
Late England Down Robust Malta To Stay On Pole Position
Gareth Southgate’s England side were forced to rely on a late flurry of goals to be sure of a thrashing against a stern Maltese side to stay on top of Group F at The Ta’ Qali National Stadium last night. Remarkably, the hosts put up a fight in the first-half and managed to keep […]
Argentina’s World Cup hopes hang by a thread
Envisaging a World Cup without La Albiceleste is like imagining the Argentine diet without red wine and beef. Yet a bad result in this, penultimate, round of qualifiers could make that nightmare a distinct reality, and put into the perspective the “failure” of three final defeats in as many years. As things stand Argentina are […]
Argentina’s Night of Shame
On 5 September 1993 Argentina welcomed Colombia to the intimidating Estadio Monumental, home of River Plate, located in the Nuñez district of Buenos Aires. Going into the final fixture of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying group, the visitors led by one point, and knew that a victory or even a draw would seal their place […]
Bora Milutinovic : The Miracle Worker
The 1986 World Cup in Mexico complete with the wave, the ‘spider’ of the Azteca Stadium, the ‘Hand of God’ goal, and much more could have been so different. Originally intended to be hosted in Colombia, the South American nation was rife with economic unrest and corruption. The Colombia football governing body admitting in 1982 […]
Living on the Dreams of Legends: An Introduction
It has been 51 years since England won the World Cup in 1966. Three decades after, the stands of Wembley swelled with the anthemic tune of Three Lions as England, the host nation of Euro 96, tried to end thirty years of hurt. The outcome was the same as it always had been. Failure. Another […]
The World Cup Calendar, July 14th. Statistical Analysis
We have made it, 35 vintage and memorable World Cup matches have been thoroughly reviewed and analysed. Five glorious tournaments have been added from 1998 through to 2014. This has spanned four continents and six host countries. It has seen some incredible shocks, some thrillers, goal fests, red cards, controversies and shambles. We’ve seen records […]
The World Cup Calendar, July 13th. Gotze’s Glorious Goal
Well folks, this is our last World Cup Calendar match to review. I only wish I were able to finish this series on a high. The 2014 World Cup was an excellent tournament of football, yet the final in the Maracana was just disappointing all round. There were offsides aplenty, some ghastly striking from Gonzalo […]
The World Cup Calendar, July 12th. The French Football Revolution
One of the purest football tournaments in recent memory culminated in the Stade de France stadium, Saint-Denis, in July 1998. Both France and Brazil had coursed their way through the tournament with ease, stopping all who got in their way, both sides with justifiable reasons to believe that they would win the World Cup. Brazil […]
The World Cup Calendar, July 11th. Andres Winiesta
During this World Cup Calendar series, we have conquered the 2002 and 2006 tournaments and now, on July the 11th, it is the culmination of the 2010 World Cup. This is a personal victory for me, as it means I no longer need to watch match highlights which involves the arduous task of listening to […]
The World Cup Calendar, July 10th. The Battle For Bronze
The battle for the bronze medal, the third/fourth place decider. The game that nobody wants to be involved in. The game that nobody wants to watch. The game that I can imagine not many of you really want to read about. This is understandable. It’s traditionally two teams who have given their all to reach […]
The World Cup Calendar, July 9th. The Taming of Zizou
Imagine the pressure, you have a glittering and highly decorated career that culminates with you captaining your country in a World Cup final. That is what Zinedine Zidane had to deal with, and for 109 minutes, he dealt with it like a pro. Unfortunately, it only takes one moment of madness to turn the tide […]
The World Cup Calendar, July 8th: Seven Heaven
I wanted to write about France’s win over Croatia today, from the 1998 World Cup. Two goals from the legendary Lilian Thuram, the hosts through to the final, and a scandalous red card to Laurent Blanc, with Slaven Bilic conning the referee. But I simply cannot write about that match. Why, you ask? Well, because […]
The World Cup Calendar, July 7th. Samba Soccer Trumps Total Football
Apologies to any reader who is tired of reading about the Netherlands, I am aware that this is the third consecutive day that they have featured in the World Cup Calendar. In fact, today is the seventh feature of the Brazilian team, and the sixth appearance of the Dutch. There is a good reason for […]
The World Cup Calendar, July 6th. Dutch Domination
Uruguay had been one of the tournaments success stories in 2010. They had topped group A, eased past South Korea in the pouring rain in the Last 16 and snuck past Ghana in the Quarter Finals. It wasn’t just the opposition that was tricky, they also had to play with their hands covering their ears […]
The World Cup Calendar, July 5th. Oranje Hit Red Hot Form
Netherlands faced Costa Rica in the quarter-finals of World Cup 2014, and it looked to be quite the interesting tie. The Dutch were still riding the shockwaves of their flabbergasting demolition-job of Spain. Costa Rica were certainly underdogs, although they had recorded excellent results against Italy, Uruguay and England, as well as eliminating Greece via […]
The World Cup Calendar, July 4th. Priceless Pirlo Proves Pitvotal
Today’s game was part of the reason that I decided to write this series. This match, Germany v Italy, the 2006 World Cup semi-final, may just be my favourite ever World Cup game. One of the world’s most iconic stadiums, some outstanding players and, above all else, some incredible drama. Late drama. The latest drama. […]
The World Cup Calendar, July 3rd. The Rivaldo Show
It’s a shame that the capacity of Nantes Stade de la Beaujoire is so low, as only 35,000 fans were able to watch the thrilling encounter between Brazil v Denmark live. Both Brazil and Denmark had won their respective Last 16 ties 4-1, with Brazil topping their group and Denmark finishing 2nd, behind France. Both […]
The World Cup Calendar, July 2nd. Suarez’s Knockout Punch
It’s going to be a sad day when Luis Suarez hangs up his boots, he just has this habit of creating memorable World Cup moments. Unfortunately for Ghana, just as it was unfortunate for Giorgio Chiellini, Suarez’s shenanigans proved costly. I’m not going to put you through the charade of pretending “the incident” is a […]