#he was celebrating pasalic's goal

[stateofsport211]

Croatia Advanced via A Dramatic Penalty Shootout, Brazil Overwhelmed South Korea

The third day of the Round of 16 started with a possibility of an East Asian derby between Japan and South Korea. This is because both of them, upon their advancement to the Round of 16, were drawn in the bottom section of the top half. But first, while Japan had to take Croatia first, South Korea had to pass a tough test in Brazil.

Japan v. Croatia

Ivan Perisic celebrated his goal in the second half (📸 Evening Standard)

The first half of the regular time started in a rapid manner, where Shogo Tamiguchi fired an on-target shot at 2', just for it to be far and wide. Croatia then counter-attacked from a chance by Ivan Perisic at 7', but to no avail. One of the most remarkable Japanese chances in the first half was from Ritsu Doan, where it landed to the Croatian penalty box from afar, but got saved at 42'. On the other hand, Josko Gvardiol became the most contributive from the Croatian side, whose chances, if not because of going solo but too wide when he was on the pitch, it was thwarted by the defense department. This also applied to those from Luka Modric to Perisic as well.

The more proactive Japanese side got their fruit at 43', where Daizen Maeda scored a goal after they took advantage of the short corners, where Ritsu Doan passed the ball to Hidemasa Morita, which helped to break the loophole within the Croatian defenders, hence Maeda's execution. After the conclusion of the first half, Croatia continued their counter-attack attempts, which paid off with Ivan Perisic's goal at 54', where the previous cross in the free kick was completed by Perisic's perfect header. The rest of the second half went with slower pace and intensity, although there were several notable chances toward the end of the second half. One of those came from Perisic as a result of Croatia's level increase, but it did not come through since it went too wide.

Since the regular time scores still stayed at 1-1, this match was the first match to be carried on with extra time. However, neither teams could break through within the extra time, even where both Japan and Croatia had their chances close to a goal. Consequently, both teams entered penalty shootout (and for the first time this year in the knock-out stage), where it looked as follows:

The proceedings of the penalty shootout (📸 self-illustration)

Left to right: Croatia celebrated after their penalty shootout success (📸 Getty Images via Sporting News) while the Japanese fans bowed to their fans as a "thank you or respect" sign after their performance (📸 Associated Press via Channel News Asia)

Japan won the toss and was the first country executing the penalty. However, among all four executors, Takumi Minamino, Kauro Mitoma, and Maya Yoshida missed their chances: this includes a weak ball execution and a ball that went to the goal post. Two of them was saved by Dominik Livakovic, who was hailed as the "national hero" afterward. Only Takuma Asano was able to score for Japan in the penalty shootout, on the third turn. In the meantime, the Croatians successfully scored on their turns (except Marko Livaja), where Mario Pasalic sealed the victory and quarterfinal advancement for Croatia.

With this victory, Croatia recorded several histories. Not only their ability to survive the knock-out rounds in extra time and penalty shootout stood since 2018 but also for Dominik Livakovic to add himself to the list of goalkeepers that saved at least three penalties in a single World Cup penalty shootout. They would then face the winner between Brazil and South Korea, who would play an hour after this penalty shootout concluded.

Brazil v. South Korea

The members of the Brazilian team, including Neymar (top right), danced in one of their goal celebrations in the first half (📸 Getty Images via Barca Blaugranes)

Brazil delivered a statement about their World Cup advancement, as they defeated South Korea 4-1 in an epic stand-off. Brazil took off from a rapid start in the first half, maintained their intensity despite the South Korean ability to raise their level, and they did not turn their backs ever since. Besides, what differed the Brazilian and South Korean side, especially in the first half, were the execution and the level they set up since the beginning: despite both had equal numbers of goal chances, Brazil executed it more accurately, especially on how they seldom missed any chance, hence the plethora of goals in the first half.

The quick start was marked by a goal by Vinicius Junior in the seventh minute, where he managed to finish the cut-back in an open South Korean pitch; exactly from the right to the center. Somehow, because of the foul affecting Richarlison in the penalty box, Brazil was granted a penalty kick, perfectly executed by Neymar, who finally scored a goal in the World Cup after his injury absence, at 13' (which added the 76th goal to his tally, one more to pass Pele). South Korea had their on-target chance at 16' from Hwang Hee-Chan, but it was saved by Alisson. Richarlison scored the third Brazilian goal at 29' after his juggle before the ball came to Marquinhos to Thiago Silva, then came back to him for a finishing shot past Kim Seung-Gyu. The Brazilian fiery form continued with a fourth goal at 35', where Lucas Paqueta flicked a pass from Neymar to Vinicius Junior who was previously on the left. By the end of the first half, Brazil led 4-0, with a possibility of scoring even more goals had this form continued.

Left stunned and shocked after conceding 4 goals, South Korea started to add more intensity in the second half. This resulted in several on-target chances, most of them remarkably saved by Alisson (again). One of those chances came from Hwang, where he tried to fire a long-range shot, only for Alisson to quickly save them. One South Korean goal, however, that caught the Brazilian side off-guard, was from Paik Seung-Ho, where after the free kick, he fired the ball from 12.3 meters distance and a speed of 89 kilometers per hour at 83'.

Right after their victory and quarterfinal advancement, the Brazilian squad opened a banner as a tribute to Pele, who is still hospitalized (📸 The Telegraph)

After this loss, Paulo Bento announced that he would leave his role as the head coach. He cited this decision was "set back in stone" in September, thanking the South Korean team for everything they have done. On the other hand, the Brazilian victory would set an exciting quarterfinal with Croatia.

Croatia v. Brazil: Will Brazil Carry Their Positive Records and Take It Again?

Brazil v. Croatia in the 2014 FIFA World Cup opening match (📸 Reuters via The Wall Street Journal)

Within this millennium, both Croatia and Brazil met four times. This would be the third time they meet in a FIFA World Cup match after 2006 & 2014, where both of them ended with a Brazilian victory, 1-0 and 3-1, respectively.

Form-wise coming to this match, Croatia, who previously defeated Japan in a penalty shootout after having an interesting group stage clashes (with goalless draws against Morocco and Belgium, but rediscovered their form with a 4-1 victory against Canada), faces peak Brazil, who, bar the defeat against Cameroon in their last group stage match, had a solid performance in the other matches

Brazil had a lot of attacking options when they went aggressive; however, Croatia's fight until the end enabled them to advance to the 2018 FIFA World Cup final despite they were not able to secure their victory in the normal periods. While it looks doable for Brazil to defeat Croatia on paper, it would not be easy if both of them went aggressive and managed to equal each other until the extra time or penalty shootout calls. While Croatia had theis experience back in 2018, Brazil has a likelihood to prevent this from happening and try to take the match at a regular time. It is definitely worth seeing if Brazil can take it without having to undergo an additional drama, or if Croatia is able to turn the tide and shift the moment to their favor when they figured Brazil out (just like the match against Canada, but against a stronger side).

#fifa world cup 2022 #fifa world cup #world cup qatar 2022 #football news #football updates #knock out stage #round of 16 #qatar 2022 #qatar world cup

[99katarina99]

I follow football - not something you see in a woman

Ever since the World Cup in Qatar, and since I started playing Fifa 22, I got interested in football, and started watching it more - not just the local league (that is Croatian league). Mostly I follow the clubs where footballers from my country play in. That goes for Man City (Gvardiol and Kovacic), Real Madrid (Modric) and Dinamo Zagreb (everyone in my family cheers for Dinamo).

I mostly watch Premier League because it's so fun and interesting, and some of the players are just, well, good. Apart from Man City, I follow Liverpool (some Croatian players played in that club like Lovren and Biscan) and Tottenham (Modric played in there before Real Madrid, and Kranjcar as well if I remember correctly). Recenlty, I started watching West Ham games as well - They have good players. Then there's Man United. I actually watch them because they're too funny, conceding goal and kicking themselves out of Champions League. It's not the same Man United as it was during Fergusson's time, and while Rooney was still playing. I sometimes switch to LaLiga, but mostly when Real Madrid plays. Here and there I switch to Ligue 1, but not so much, only to see results when PSG, Marseille or Lyon plays. I sometimes switch to Serie A, when either Inter (Brozovic and some other Croatian players played in it), Milan (out of nothing), Torino (Vlasic, but he's not so good, everyone knows that) or Atalanta (Pasalic plays in it, and they're interested in bringing Baturina from Dinamo). Then there's Sassuolo where Erlic plays, but I rarely watch them, and Lecce - I only heard recently about them that they have Pongracic. I have access to some great football leagues, but not Bundesliga. Lots of Croatian players play in Germany like Kramaric (Hoffenheim), Majer (Wolfsburg), Beljo (Augsburg), Stanisic (on the loan in Bayer Leverkusen from Bayern) and Jakic (on the loan in Augsburg from Eintracht). For Bundesliga I only watch the results on my phone app. I wish I could also watch the dutch league - They have Ivanusec in Feyeenord and Sosa and Sutalo in Ajax.

Now the players: of course, my favorite players in Premier League are Gvardiol and Kovacic. Kovacic has very good dribbles, and Gvardiol can literally play multiple positions (and be a wall in defense). I also like Haaland (yes, another Man City player). The guy is like a goal machine, not to mention that he looks like he's not from this planet. Then there's Foden. For his age, he really plays like he is a big star. Maguire - well, I only like him for being a laughing stock. I can't understand how his long passes end up at the opposite player's foot, and what is he doing in defense line. If you ask me, it's gotta be how Man United kept changing formations and tactics through the last few years that somehow affected him.

Now is there a player I don't like at all? In Premier League, that is Alvarez. It has nothing to do with how he plays, but because of what he is: a jerk that ran into Livakovic at Qatar World Cup and got a penalty. The VAR was sleeping throughout the whole game against Argentina that they didn't see that Alvarez was the one who ran into Livakovic on purpose, and fell to the ground with a smile on his face. Then there's Messi. People can say all they want that he is a genius and a good person, but I don't think the same. I think the whole World Cup thing was made for him to lift the trophy, just a product placement stunt, being Fifa's pet and all. And the ballon'd'or this year was given to him, for what? For being a best player only because Fifa wants everyone to think that? It's for all those reasons that everyone on Balkan likes Ronaldo more than Messi. And also, Joao Felix - I think he's the one that goes after money, not the game. He switched Atletico for Barcelona, and everyone in Madrid was angry about it. If it's my country, it would be like switching Dinamo for Hajduk. Not to mention that Joao Felix even celebrated the goal against his former club. That's not what a player does. If you ask me, he is also a jerk, nothing like Ronaldo as everyone claims he is.

I know some of you can't agree with my opinions, but it's what it is, you can't change it.

#football #blog #soccer #premier league #ligue 1 #serie a #la liga #qatar world cup

[shannybasar]

Euro 2020 #3

Rory Smith perfectly sums up yesterday's football matches in The New York Times:

It would be too definitive to declare that Monday, June 28, 2021 was the greatest day of tournament soccer in history. Over the last 90 years, after all, there will have been days that have brought an even grander torrent of jaw-dropping drama.

But none of them immediately leap to mind.

The Atlantic headline agrees : The greatest day ever of knockout football? Enthralling, breathless and what we all needed so much

Spain were 3-1 up and coasting with five minutes remaining in Copenhagen, only for Croatia to find a second wind as substitutes Mislav Orsic and Mario Pasalic took the game into extra time. The very same scoring pattern was followed in the France-Switzerland game in Bucharest that completed the day’s last-16 double-header — 0-1, 1-1, 2-1, 3-1, 3-2, 3-3 — but whereas Spain went on to win, France could not. A penalty shootout saw nine successful kicks before Kylian Mbappe, French football’s golden boy, had his saved by Yann Sommer.

It was a dramatic conclusion to an evening that had many people wondering when we last watched two such pulsating, enthralling matches back-to-back.

The piece highlights a Swiss fan:

What followed will go down in folklore in Switzerland — as will the television images of one Swiss fan who immediately became a social media phenomenon as he appeared to be transformed from David Banner to the Incredible Hulk over the course of 90 seconds as he went from mourning imminent elimination to celebrating that equalising goal.

That is what football can do, taking people from the depths of despair to the heights of… whatever he would call the feeling that drove him to rip off his shirt and let out a primal scream, his face contorting almost beyond recognition as he did so.

The Guardian beautifully sums up the Span's game against Croatia:

This was a scoreline from another age and a match for the ages, a wild, thunderous and implausible afternoon that went from the ridiculous to the sublime and back again. It left the people up here as exhausted as the players were down there, struggling to remember everything that had happened but certain that they would never forget the way it made them feel. The kind of match that left many questions, including: how do you explain it? Where do you even start with this?

With the score: 5-3? With the 35 shots? With the fact that Spain won, securing a place in the quarter-final? Or the fact that they had to win twice? With Croatia’s implausible revival? With the noise, the occasion, the nerves? With the quality, and there was plenty of that? With the heart, of which there was even more? With the silliness, because there was some of that too? How about with the goal that ultimately brought this to an end perhaps, finally carrying Spain through a storm?

Interesting piece from ESPN on The psychology of the penalty shootout:

But as players from the 16 remaining teams at Euro 2020 start to intensify their penalty practising, Young has one message to help them: "Don't blank out the fear."

"I think one of the lingering misconceptions of psychology is still that it's all about positive thinking," he said. "You have to acknowledge the unhelpful thoughts and feelings you're having, as opposed to trying to push them away.

"Nerves are a way of recognising we are getting ready to perform. I'd ask a player to focus on maintaining a rational mindset, concentrate on what they can control [routine, pace and plan] and potentially use breathing or grounding techniques to stay in the present moment.

"The key here is that they would've practiced all of these elements over a period of time -- not just expecting them to turn up and wing it on the day.

"If they've prepared thoroughly, and followed their routine, they've done all they can do. You can't guarantee the right result, but you've given yourself a better chance."

#euro 2020 #football #Youtube

[fossadeileonixv]

Jack, Jack, Jack....

What a very strange trip it’s been my friend....

I can’t say I ever thought that I would ‘miss’ Jack. That seems weird to say writing this. It’s true though. Even that last game... his teammates were trying desperately to set him up for a goal but it just didn’t hit me. It didn’t til it was almost too late. In a way it was the perfect way to end this strange season. A sort of microcosm of Jacks career.  Like did it really happen? To a further extent, did Jack happen? Was he here at all? 

He wasn’t some giant of the game. He wasn’t tall and boisterous like Zlatan and didn’t have chiseled good looks like Ronaldo. He was just a guy. 5 foot nothing. Maybe 170 pounds? He could have been me or you. Or he could have been your neighbor or your best friend. He could be any of us living out our dream. 

Jack got here just in time for the second game of the 2014-2015 season. He wasn’t a big offseason signing but instead a last minute addition from Atalanta by Galliani. IFIT! His debut would come on September 14th against Parma. Little did anyone know it would become the most Banter game of the entire Banter era. You know the game: 

Milan 5 Parma 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn18wd7yNZc

Jack would score 25 minutes into his debut. Of course that would quickly be overshadowed by one of the craziest games in Milan history.  It became a 9 goal thriller which featured an absurd own goal by DeSciglio and perhaps the most insane backheel anyone has ever seen from Menez. 

Being overshadowed would be the story of his time at Milan.

In the SuperCoppa win over Juve a few years later he scored our only goal, a beautiful glancing header off a cross from Suso. That game would eventually go to extra time and finally to PKs. Jack of course would bury his chance but Mario Pasalic would be the belle of the ball as he scored the clincher past Gigi Buffon. 

Fast forward to last years season opener against Napoli. Jack scores an insane golazzo where he flies into the box and volleys the ball off the outside of his foot from a header from Borini. 

Of course in typical fashion Milan would go on to lose that game 3-2 in the most soul crushing of fashions. After going up 2-0 on 50 minutes it all fell apart late. Same old song for our man Jack. A great highlight overshadowed by the larger story. 

So that’s how it would go for him all the way til that last game. Zlatan got his 10th goal. We finished off the post-Covid break undefeated.  Pioli got renewed. Leao was flying. Fans were celebrating Biglia’s exit. And in almost existentially perfect fashion Jack had the assist on the last goal his team would score while a player for Milan. 

Once again a footnote in the background of a larger headline. 

Finally after all the post game handshakes and interviews there he was... just walking up and down the touchline. Seemed  Jack just didn’t know what to do with himself. Who would? Most of the players had left the field. There was no crowd to send him off of course. Only a handful of assistant coaches and staff had stuck around. Finally he just walked onto the field, knelt down and placed his hand on the field.

It was almost like he was communing with the San Siro gods one last time. Breaking down, telling them that he tried his best. Apologizing that he didn’t do better. Finally he walked off the pitch, down the stairs and into the locker room one last time. 

I didn’t realize it til it was almost too late, but I’m really gonna miss Jack. 

Cheers

[torentialtribute]

Norwich City 1-4 Atalanta: Canaries well beaten by Serie A outfit 

Norwich City 1-4 Atalanta: Canaries well defeated by Outfit Series

Daniel Farke's side struggled with a step up in Carrow Road

] Norwich took the lead but was in the Champions League qualifying match

Luis Muriel's goals (2) Mario Pasalic and Musa Barrow sealed the win of the visitors

by by Alec Fenn for Mailonline

Published: 23:55 BST July 30, 2019 Updated: 23:59 BST, July 30, 2019

Norwich City were defeated by Atalanta 4-1 as the side of the Series A showed their attacking firepower on Carrow Road.

The Canary Islands took the lead through the strike of Todd Cantwell in the 16th minute, but the quality of the Series A said they achieved four goals without answer

Luis Muriel was right after the a moment of peace and added a second just past the hour, before further efforts by Mario Pasalic and Musa Barrow sealed a big win for the visitors.

Todd Cantwell celebrates the lead after giving Norwich a well-taken strike at 16 minutes

Atalanta qualified for the Champions League after finishing a third in the Series last season and made for a step in the class prior to Norwich's return to the Premier League.

In the first half, the Canary Islands formed a competition for visitors and took the lead when Moritz Leiner fed Cantwell, who stroked the ball home from eight meters.

But Atalanta responded after a touchline rollocking by manager Mirco Moioli, and found an equalizer in the first half injury time after the careless pass of Timm Klose by his own 18-yard box was seized by Muriel, who went home shot.

After the break, Muriel made it 2-1 when he converted Maarten from Roon's withdrawal before Kenny McLean's Duvan Zapata poke effort was taken off the line.

The Colombian international then had a handball goal signed, but Atlanta made sure his pressure was paid when Pasalic added a third before Barrow completed the score in injury time.

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#Norwich City 1-4 Atalanta: Canaries well beaten by Serie A outfit "

[junker-town]

Liverpool overwhelm Spartak Moscow in Champions League

Liverpool’s superior pace and skill were way too much for Spartak to handle.

Liverpool attacked Spartak Moscow early, aggressively, and often, and that paid huge dividends in the form of a dominating 7-0 Champions League win. Philippe Coutinho scored a hat trick, Liverpool kept a rare clean sheet, and the Reds won Group E in front of a raucous and excited Anfield Road crowd.

The scoring opened up quite quickly, with Mohamed Salah getting dragged down in the box in the opening minutes to create a penalty that Philippe Coutinho put away easily. Coutinho wasn’t done, though, combining with Roberto Firmino on a breakaway counter, making a run behind the attention of Spartak’s defense and coolly slotting home a pass from his fellow Brazilian to give Liverpool a 2-0 lead just 15 minutes into the match.

It's all too easy for Liverpool. They lead Spartak 3-0 midway through the 1st half, and this second goal was https://t.co/imTLsBy1sy

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 6, 2017

Firmino wouldn’t wait long to get on the scoresheet himself, this time taking the finish of a counter-attack himself instead of sharing the glory, banging home a beauty of a shot to give Liverpool a huge three-goal lead before 20 minutes had gone by in the game. Liverpool would easily control things for the rest of the first half, though their celebrations were marred a bit when Alberto Moreno suffered an ankle injury when his foot appeared to bend back awkwardly when he went to block a shot late in the first half.

Moreno would be replaced by James Milner just before the halftime whistle blew, and just after the second half began Milner popped up in a big way, sending in a cross that Sadio Mane met with an absolutely sensational volley to score Liverpool’s fourth goal of the match.

Yeah, there's no stopping that Sadio Mane volley. https://t.co/v0Z6MpDXyx

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 6, 2017

Liverpool weren’t done, though — Coutinho would complete his hat-trick with a deflected shot after a burst into the box a few short minutes later, then in the 70th minute Mane scored his second in the match. The rout was well and truly on, and Spartak had no answer them, which was starkly evident when their defense more or less gave up late in the match to allow Mo Salah to score, giving each of Liverpool’s potent foursome of attackers a goal on the day.

At the end of the day, Liverpool had seven goals, Spartak Moscow had none, and Liverpool were easy winners of Champions League Group E. It was a terrifying message for them to send whoever they’re drawn against in the first knockout round, while Spartak Moscow are slumping down to the Europa League with a lot of questions to answer and potentially with their confidence taking an absolutely brutal blow after this match.

Liverpool: Loris Karius; Joe Gomez, Dejan Lovren (Trent Alexander-Arnold 60’), Ragnar Klavan, Alberto Moreno (James Milner (45’+1); Georginio Wijnaldum, Emre Can, Philippe Coutinho; Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino

Goals: Coutinho (pen. 4’, 15’, 50’), Firmino (18’), Mane (47’, 76’), Salah (86’)

Spartak Moscow: Alexander Selikhov; Andrey Eshchenko, Serdar Tasci, Salvatore Bocchetti, Giorgi Jikia (Mario Pasalic 60’); Denis Glushakiv, Fernando; Roman Zobnin, Luiz Adriano, Quincy Promes; Ze Luis (Lorenzo Melgarejo 51’)

Goals: None

Three things we saw

Don’t try to figure out Liverpool’s formation

While LIverpool’s squad was listed as a 4-3-3 before the match, when it was actuall in action during the game, it was a constant shifting nightmare for fans and Spartak players alike to figure out. One minute it would be a 4-3-3, the next a 4-4-2, the next a 4-1-5 with Georginio Wijnaldum pushing way up, and at times we’d even see something like a 3-5-2 with Emre Can dropping deep and the fullbacks pushing up.

That constant flux of shape made Liverpool very difficult to predict tactically, a fact that they took advantage of early and often. Their constant shifting of shape and where players were coming from made them very hard to defend against, and that was evident on each of their first five goals goal, as Liveprool’s shape and approach coming into each was unique. It was an impressive display of flexible attacking play — and it even helped defensively as well, as Spartak struggled badly to figure out where potential lanes to attack through would be.

Spartak made a very bad mistake

There’s been one thing teams have had to keep in mind this season when facing Liverpool: never, ever, ever give their attackers space to work with. Give them space, and they will punish you every time, but close them down aggressively, deny them time to breathe and move on the ball, and you can at least have a chance to keep them contained.

Spartak gave them space.

Instead of closing Liverpool down, Spartak dropped deeper, and deeper, and deeper. They didn’t press, they didn’t harry, they didn’t harass. They gave Liverpool’s fearsome attacking quartet all the space they needed and then some to pick their runs and passes and shots, and Liverpool punished them dearly for it in the form of an absolute thrashing. It was a mystifying tactical decision from manager Massimo Carrera, who has otherwise done fairly well with his planning in the Champions League this season, and it cost his team any faint hope of making the Champions League knockout rounds.

Don’t overlook Georginio Wijnaldum

He may not have gotten onto the scoresheet with a goal or assist, but that doesn’t mean that Wijnaldum didn’t play a huge part in Liverpool’s win. He was a constant menace to his opposite numbers in Spartak’s midfield, making disruptive supporting runs that pulled attention away from other Liverpool attackers — Sadio Mane’s volley had acres of space partly because of a Wijnaldum run — and he made several key passes to help spring important attacks.

But the Dutch midfielder did a lot defensively as well, coming up with several big interceptions of passes that could have started dangerous attacks for Spartak, and the constant pressure he put on both Denis Glushakiv and Fernando kept the Russian side from ever doing much to build steady possession to calm themselves down and get back into the game.

It was an important performance from Wijnaldum, but one easy to overlook in the middle of the torrent of goals that they scored. He deserves a lot of credit for how incredibly good he’s been, especially since he’s been at the heart of some pretty dark moments for Liverpool since he signed with the Reds — but he’s made some huge strides of late, and that bodes well for the rest of Liverpool’s season.