Morocco earned only their third-ever World Cup win against FIFA’s second-best ranked team Belgium as goals from substitute pairing Abdelhamid Sabiri and Zakaria Aboukhlal sealed a historic 2-0 victory. Sabiri found the net from an incredibly tight angle, beating Thibaut Courtois at his near post from a clever free-kick, before Aboukhlal raced onto Hakim Ziyech’s through ball to seal a momentous win in second-half stoppage time. Morocco were denied a goal on the stroke of half-time when Ziyech’s free-kick nestled in the back of the net, only to be ruled out by a lengthy VAR review, which judged that Romain…
Author: National Tone
Japan failed to take another step towards the World Cup knockout rounds as Keysher Fuller’s late goal earned Costa Rica a smash-and-grab Group E victory.Following their shock win over Germany, Japan were frustrated by a tight defensive unit, before Fuller struck with Costa Rica’s first shot on target at the tournament. The result leaves both teams on three points after two games, with Spain – who still top the group on goal difference – facing Germany later on Sunday (19:00 GMT).Victory for Spain will all but guarantee their progression to the last 16.After beating Germany in their opener, many expected…
Keysher Fuller’s goal made the difference between the two sides.Costa Rica have beaten Japan 1-0 to keep their hopes of qualification in the next round of the World Cup alive. Luis Fernando Suarez’s players spent most of Sunday’s game on the backfoot but came on top with right-back Keysher Fuller’s beautiful curler in the 81st minute, their first and only shot on target. Japan, who entered Ahmad bin Ali Stadium full of confidence after their win over Germany, lacked the cutting edge to break down a resolute Costa Rican defence. The game seemed headed for a dour stalemate but burst…
Zak Chelli’s fight against Lerrone Richards at Alexandra Palace on Sunday afternoon has been postponed, after Richards was deemed unwell to fight.The British boxers were due to fight on the undercard, but Richards suffered a knock to his head and has been advised to pull out of the fight. SJam Boxing said on Sunday morning: “Last night, Lerrone became unwell and fell in his hotel room. He felt great at the weigh-in and had rehydrated well, so the incident was a complete surprise to everyone.”He suffered a knock to his head and became concussed. Although he personally wants to box…
Gary O’Neil has agreed an 18-month deal to become the new Bournemouth boss after 12 matches as interim head coach.O’Neil took charge of the Cherries at the end of August following the sacking of Scott Parker and has impressed in his first managerial role. The deal has an option of a further 12 months depending on results. Bournemouth have won four, drawn four and lost four under the 39-year-old and are 14th in the Premier League, three points above the relegation zone.Ex-Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa had held discussions with the Dorset club over a potential return to the Premier…
New research shows that right-leaning media outlets tend to be more negative and angry. But the left peddles fear, too.A number of commentators have argued in recent years that the media overemphasises negativity in its content. Is this true? Answering this question is no trivial matter, as it requires a standard against which the media’s coverage can be compared. That is, it is challenging to establish how negative or positive media content should be. What we can certainly determine instead is how the sentiment (positive or negative) and emotional undertones (such as fear, anger or joy) of news content compare…
Germany manager Hansi Flick defied FIFA rules as he sat alone for the press conference ahead of their crucial Group E clash against Spain on Sunday. The FIFA rules suggest a player alongside the manager must appear at a press conference the day before a game, but Flick told his players to focus on training. Since all media briefings have to be at FIFA’s main media centre in Doha, the German coach had to travel over 200 km from their Al Shamal training base for the pre-match press conference. Hansi Flick previews tomorrow’s clash with Spain 💬 All the key…
Kim Jong Un has promoted the scientists and soldiers involved in the test launch of North Korea’s largest missile, the Hwasong-17.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said that his ultimate goal is to possess the world’s most powerful nuclear force, according to state media. Kim made the announcement on Saturday as he promoted dozens of military officers involved in the recent launch of North Korea’s largest ballistic missile, the Hwasong-17, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. In his order, Kim said that North Korea was building a nuclear force to protect the dignity and sovereignty of the state…
Lionel Messi opened the scoring against Mexico with a wonderful goal from range, as Argentina earned a 2-0 victory.Superb goals by Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez have earned Argentina a 2-0 win over Mexico in a pulsating atmosphere at Lusail Stadium on Saturday. The result breathes new life into the South American side’s World Cup campaign after they suffered a stunning defeat in their Group C opener against Saudi Arabia. Argentina knew another defeat would send them out of the tournament, but they started poorly, struggling to cope with Mexico’s high press as Messi was denied time and space to…
Dillian Whyte edged out American heavyweight Jermaine Franklin on a majority decision after their 12-round contest at Wembley Arena.Whyte was returning from defeat to Tyson Fury in April at neighbouring Wembley Stadium and had a battle on his hands against Franklin, with one judge, Michael Alexander scoring their bout level at 115-115. The other two judges, Juergen Landos and Grzegorz Molenda however both scored the fight 116-112 for Whyte. Image: Dillian Whyte beat Jermaine Franklin at Wembley Arena Franklin found some early success when he caught his counterpart flush on the jaw in the second round before Whyte landed a…