Vive la France! And a lot of other nations, too

MOSCOW — Antoine Griezmann's father emigrated from Germany, and the France forward's mother is of Portuguese decent.

Paul Pogba's parents arrived from Guinea.

Kylian Mbappe's dad is from Cameroon, his mom Algerian.

Immigrants, sons of immigrants and grandsons of immigrants bonded together with scions of families that have been French for generations, all for the rouge, blanc et bleu. And for only the second time, France is the World Cup champion.


About two-thirds of Les Bleus' roster included players with immigrant backgrounds, a mini-United Nations of soccer talent.

"That is the France that we love," Griezmann said through a translator after Sunday's 4-2 victory over Croatia ended the most exciting World Cup final in decades. "It's beautiful to see it."

Griezmann's free kick was headed in by Mario Manduzkic for the opening own-goal in the 18th minute, and then he converted a penalty kick for a 2-1 lead in the 38th after video review spotted a handball by Ivan Perisic.

Mbappe's speed led to the third goal in the 59th . He added a goal of his own in the 65th , at 19 becoming the second-youngest scorer in a World Cup final behind 17-year-old Pele in 1958.

Vive la diversite!

A day after Bastille Day, the party was on.

"The diversity of the squad is in the image of this beautiful country that is France," midfielder Blaise Matuidi, whose parents are from Angola and Congo, said through a translator ahead of the match.
France won on a humid night in Russia, with thunderclaps during play and a downpour during the trophy presentation. Quite different from that indelible summer evening at Stade de France in 1998, when fans in the arena and throughout Paris sang "La Marseillaise" until dawn and young teenagers drove cars while their intoxicated parents sat in passenger seats.

People called that team "Black, Blanc, Beur," noting how white, black and North African players came together.

Zinedine Zidane, a son of Algerians, headed in a pair of first-half corner kicks against heavily favored Brazil. Patrick Vieira, born in Senegal, fed Normand-born Emmanuel Petit for the third in the 3-0 win.

This year's team was perhaps even more diverse.

Defender Samuel Umtiti was born in Cameroon and backup goalkeeper Steve Mandanda in Zaire. Others descended from Algeria, Mali, Mauritania, Mococco and Senegal, plus Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

"There may be players who come from different origins, but we do have the same state of mind," Griezmann said. "We all play for the same jersey, the cockerel. For our country, we give everything we have. As soon as you wear the jersey, we do everything for each other."

He scored the go-ahead goal after the first video review-created penalty kick in a World Cup final. During a delay of about four minutes that might have unnerved less-composed players. Griezmann told himself to pretend it was a league match.

"Carry on and do the same thing as I normally do," he remembered thinking.

At 27, he in his prime but in the penumbra of Spanish soccer at Atletico Madrid, toiling in a league that Barcelona and Real Madrid dominate. He led the 2016 European Championship with six goals and tied for second with four at the World Cup, three on penalty kicks, earning the Bronze Ball as third-best player behind Croatia midfielder Luka Modric and Belgium forward Eden Hazard.

Griezmann kissed the trophy, knowing his generation will be revered in the same way Zidane, Petit, Thierry Henry, Lilian Thuram and Fabien Barthez remain renowned from Calais to Cannes.

"From tonight on, I'm sorry for them, but they are going to be different," coach Didier Deschamps said. "Those 23 players will be linked forever, forever. Whatever happens — they might follow different paths, but they will be marked forever and they will be together thanks to this event."

Griezmann, man of the match in a World Cup final, will be on posters throughout the republic, asked for endorsements, a mainstay of commercials. He will asked for autographs for the rest of his life.

"I'm going to be in the history of French football with my team," Griezmann said. "We don't quite realize it yet. Our children will very proud to have our names."

source: philstar.com

Last remaining multiple World Cup champions eliminated

KAZAN, Russia  — Only five countries have won the World Cup more than once. None of them have a chance to win another this year.

Five-time champion Brazil and two-time champion Uruguay were both eliminated Friday, losing in the quarterfinals. Argentina, another two-time winner, lost in the round of 16 while four-time champion Germany couldn’t make it out of the group stage.

Italy, which also has won four titles, didn’t even qualify, losing to Sweden in the playoffs.

This is the first time there will be a semifinals without at least one of Argentina, Brazil, Germany or Italy.

That only leaves France and England as former champions still with a chance to win another title in Russia.

BRAZIL

Brazil was one of the biggest favorites heading into the tournament in Russia, but it struggled early in the group stage and finally lost to Belgium 2-1 on Friday in Kazan.

After a lackluster start in qualifying, Brazil replaced 1994 World Cup-winning captain Dunga with Tite as coach. Tite oversaw an immediate improvement in results that led to Brazil’s qualification.

Although Brazil finished first in Group E, it failed to impress in attack. There were glimpses of pace and skill from Neymar and Philippe Coutinho, but the team was not as free-flowing going forward as many had hoped.

At least the defense was solid, conceding only one goal through the round of 16.

Brazil has now been eliminated by European opposition in the knockout stages at each of the four World Cups since it last won in 2002.
URUGUAY

Uruguay was the World Cup’s first winner back in 1930 and the country added a second title 20 years later when it defeated Brazil in the final match in Rio de Janeiro.

Although the Uruguayans haven’t made a final since, they have become a presence again in the final stages.

In 2010, Uruguay made the semifinals, losing to the Netherlands 3-2. The team came close again this year, but lost to France 2-0 on Friday in Nizhny Novgorod.

Uruguay came second in South American qualifying behind Brazil. Its strong all-around performances in Russia, particularly in the 2-1 victory over Portugal in the round of 16, raised hopes that the team could at least match its performance from 2010.

However, during the loss to France in the quarterfinals, Uruguay was forced to play without injured striker Edinson Cavani. And a bad mistake from goalkeeper Fernando Muslera gifted Antoine Griezmann a goal.

ARGENTINA

Argentina, the World Cup champion in 1978 and 1986, has arguably the best player of his generation in Lionel Messi. But few gave the team much of a chance of making a second straight final.

Qualifying for the tournament in Russia proved to be an ordeal, requiring a final day hat trick from Messi.

With coach Jorge Sampaoli struggling to build a team around Messi, Argentina labored during the group stage in Russia, notably in its opening 1-1 draw against Iceland.

A 3-0 loss to Croatia raised the prospect that it wouldn’t even make it out of the group, but the team scraped through with a late winner against Nigeria.

The reward, though, was tough — France in the round of 16. Kylian Mbappe exploited the lack of speed in Argentina’s defense and lead France to a 4-3 victory.

GERMANY

Germany won its fourth World Cup in Brazil four years ago. A chance for a fifth was expected in Russia, not least because the team hadn’t done much wrong in between.

Germany’s failure to make the second stage for the first time since 1938 is one of the World Cup’s great surprises. After all, Germany has made it to the semifinals in each major tournament it has contested since 2006.

Losing its opening group match against Mexico was seen as a blip. Normal service would surely resume, it was thought. However, the team struggled in its second match against Sweden, requiring a curling goal from Toni Kroos with virtually the last kick of the match to win 2-1.

In its final match against South Korea, the Germans lost 2-0.

ITALY

At least the others qualified for this year’s World Cup.

Italy, however, didn’t even make it to Russia after losing to Sweden in the playoffs. It’s the first time Italy has missed out on a World Cup in 60 years.

Italy’s national team has been in decline since winning its fourth World Cup title in 2006. At the World Cups of 2010 and 2014, the Italians failed to get out of their group.

source: philstar.com

Players from Premier League, Spanish league scoring the most

SOCHI, Russia — Players from the Premier League and the Spanish league scored nearly half of the goals at the World Cup in the group stage.

Of the 122 goals in the 48 matches so far, 31 came from players in England’s top league and 29 from players in Spain. Four other goals came from players on teams in those country’s second division.

The Premier League has two of the top scorers: Tottenham striker Harry Kane with five goals for England and Manchester United forward Romelu Lukaku with four for Belgium.

The Spanish league has Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo with four goals for Portugal, Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa with three for Spain and Villarreal midfielder Denis Cheryshev with another three for Russia.

Kane and Lukaku were left out of their teams’ final group match on Thursday as both had already reached the next round. The top five leading scorers will continue playing in the knockout stage.

Players from the French league scored nine goals, one more than players from the German Bundesliga. The Italian league was next with its players scoring seven goals.

The top four clubs releasing players to the World Cup were from the Premier League (Manchester City and Chelsea) and the Spanish league (Real Madrid and Barcelona).

Real Madrid led the club list with nine goals from its players, followed by Barcelona and Tottenham, with eight goals each.

Among the teams with the most players at the World Cup, Bayern Munich was the only one without any goals from its players in Russia. Bayern was the top scoring team four years ago in Brazil, with its players finding the net 18 times.

Major League Soccer has seen two of its players score — Carlos Vela of Los Angeles FC for Mexico and Kendall Waston of the Vancouver Whitecaps for Costa Rica.
A total of 86 players scored in the group stage, which ended with a goal average of 2.5 per match. Four years ago in Brazil, 136 goals were scored in the group stage, with an average of 2.8 per game.

There were nine own-goals in the tournament in Russia, a World Cup record.

The only scoreless game came when Denmark played France in Moscow on Tuesday.

source: philstar.com

Brazilians disappointed after 1-1 tie at World Cup

RIO DE JANEIRO — Disappointment and frustration swept over Brazilians who gathered at public squares, bars and parks across Latin America's biggest country to watch their national team end up with a 1-1 tie in its opening World Cup match.

In Rio de Janeiro, thousands jammed the downtown Maua Square to watch Brazil's game with Switzerland on large TV screens. People cheered wildly when Brazil made it 1-0. But the mood started declining into glumness once Switzerland scored the equalizer and Brazil failed to get in another goal.

People watching the game in Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte and other cities in soccer-mad Brazil expressed similar feelings of disappointment.

source: philstar.com

Balanced Brazil reduces dependence on Neymar for World Cup

SAO PAULO — Brazil is still shaking off the embarrassment of losing to Germany 7-1 in its home World Cup.

Since Tite took over as coach in 2016, the five-time world champions have become a winning machine again and were the first to qualify for Russia.

Neymar, who missed the humiliating match against Germany because of injury, has had to recover from a broken foot that kept him out for three months before the trip to Russia.

But there isn’t such a reliance now on the world’s most expensive player. In six games without Neymar, Brazil still won four times, including a friendly against Germany in Berlin in March.


“He will be missed by any team,” Brazil defender Thiago Silva said, “but not having him sometimes helps us consolidate the style we want.”

Indeed, the Brazilians head into the World Cup looking more balanced and with a range of top players available in every position. They were so dominant in South American qualifying that they would still have secured first place without the points secured in six games under Dunga before the coach was fired.

Brazil should be even more dangerous in Russia if Neymar, who sustained the injury playing for Paris Saint-Germain in February, is fully fit.

“Skill wise, he is already the best player in the world,” Brazil great Pele said. “This is his time to shine.”

Here’s a closer look at the Brazil team:

Coach
In less than two years on the job, Adenor Leonardo Bachi — better known as Tite — has turned Brazil from a flop into a title favorite.

A former pupil of defense-minded Luiz Felipe Scolari — the 2002 World Cup-winning coach who also presided over the Germany match — Tite has grown into a fan of Carlo Ancelotti and his well-balanced teams. The two have exchanged ideas since 2014.
Detractors say Tite’s teams are low scoring and that he charms players and journalists into sparing him from criticism. But his title streak at Corinthians from 2011-15 underscores his credentials for the national team job.

Goalkeepers
Alisson Becker wasn’t a household name in Brazil when he started wearing the No. 1 jersey two years ago. Now a starter for Roma, the 25-year-old Becker’s admirers include Italy great Gianluigi Buffon.

Alisson’s skills with both hands and feet made Tite relegate Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson to the bench. He is now being linked with a move to a leading club, including Real Madrid, Liverpool and Chelsea.

The third option is Tite’s most trusted player in the position, Corinthians goalkeeper Cassio.

Defenders
In 12 South American World Cup qualifiers under Tite, Brazil conceded only three goals.

The coach would have preferred to play with a solid back four featuring Paris Saint-Germain duo Dani Alves and Marquinhos, Inter Milan’s Miranda and Real Madrid’s Marcelo. But Alves will miss the World Cup because of injury and will be replaced by Manchester City defender Danilo.

At the pre-World Cup training camp, Tite decided to move PSG central defender Thiago Silva to Marquinhos’ place.

The three other reserves, right back Fagner, defender Pedro Geromel and left back Filipe Luis, are clearly lagging behind the starters.

Midfielders
Philippe Coutinho could replace Renato Augusto, who plays at Chinese club Beijing Guoan and is returning from injury, as the playmaker.

If that happens, Coutinho’s position on the left could be filled by Chelsea midfielder Willian. Fred is also in contention to start if he recovers from an ankle injury.

A more defensive variation would see Fernandinho, who plays with Premier League champion Manchester City, take Augusto’s place. While Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro offers protection to the defense, Barcelona rival Paulinho is a box-to-box player who also provides goals.

Forwards
If Neymar isn’t fit for the World Cup, Tite may have to resort to using Willian or Douglas Costa, who is also returning from injury, in his place.

While Gabriel Jesus was Brazil’s top scorer in qualifying, the Man City player faces competition from Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino.

Tite lacks an old-fashioned center forward, so he chose a speedier player, Shahktar Donetsk’s Taison, for the bench.

Group games
Brazil will have its base in Sochi despite playing no games near the Black Sea resort. The team will face Switzerland on Sunday in its Group E opener in Rostov-on-Don and then play Costa Rica on June 22 in St. Petersburg and Serbia on June 27 in Moscow.

Squad
Goalkeepers: Alisson (Roma), Ederson (Manchester City), Cassio (Corinthians)

Defenders: Danilo (Manchester City), Fagner (Corinthians), Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Miranda (Inter Milan), Pedro Geromel (Gremio), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid)

Midfielders: Casemiro (Real Madrid), Paulinho (Barcelona), Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona), Renato Augusto (Beijing Guoan), Fred (Manchester United), Fernandinho (Manchester City)

Forwards: Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain), Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City), Willian (Chelsea), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Douglas Costa (Juventus), Taison (Shakhtar Donetsk)

source: philstar.com