Tag: fifa cup 2022

FIFA WC: Kramaric brace helps Croatia thump Canada 4-1

By LokMarg

Andrej Kramaric’s brace helped Croatia thump Canada 4-1 in the Group F clash to knock them out of the FIFA World Cup at the Khalifa International Stadium on Sunday.

Croatia overcame an early setback in the game after Alphonso Davies’ spectacular header gave Canada a strong start but the 2018 World Cup runner-ups played with poise and tenacity to clinch a significant victory to maintain its lead in Group F.
The second half started with Jonathan Osario going for the glory shot from a distance that missed the Croatian goalpost by whiskers.

Kramaric was a live wire in the field and he again created a chance for Croatia in the 51st minute as he sent a cross in the Canada box but it missed everyone to go in vain. The forward came close to scoring his second goal in the 55th minute after he was left unmarked in the box but Milan Borjan made a brilliant stop to keep his team in the hunt.

The 2018 finalists were all over the Canadian team but the team had an opportunity to level through Jonathan David in the 58th minute but the chance went begging as the Croatian goalie kept the shot from finding the back of the net.

Croatian forward Kramaric turned magician for his second goal as he made a magical first touch as he twisted, turned and shot to find the Canadian net for his second goal of the match.

Absolute dominance is what defined Croatia’s game during the last 20 minutes as they kept the possession and attacked relentlessly.

The continuous attacks bore fruit for them as attacking midfielder Lovro Mjaer scored in injury time for Croatia to pile up the misery of Canada, ending the game reflecting his team’s dominance in the game.

Canada suffered a massive defeat as the final whistle ended the team’s chances of advancing into the knockout stage.

Strikes from Andrej Kramaric and Marko Livaja put Croatia ahead against Canada in a Group F match being played here at Khalifa International Stadium. The Croatians at one stage were trailing behind by one goal but they made a comeback to level as well as take the lead going into half-time.

Alphonso Davies headed in Tajon Buchanan’s cross from close range to score Canada’s first-ever World Cup goal. The Canadians took an early 1-0 lead in the second minute of the match.

Seven minutes later goal scorer Davies tried a through ball but Cyle Larin was caught offside.

Marko Livaja made a first on-target attempt for Croatia with the help of Mateo Kovacic’s assist but the attempt was saved in the 22nd minute of the match. Four minutes later Marcelo Brozovic tried a through ball but Marko Livaja was caught offside.

Croatians kept pressing as in the 35th minute Marko Livaja’s right-footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.

In the 36th minute, the 2018 finalists scored their first goal as Ivan Perisic’s attempt allowed Andrej Kramaric’s take a left-footed shot from a difficult angle on the left to the centre of the goal to level the score.

Croatia took a lead in the 44th minute when Marko Livaja’s right-footed shot from outside the box went onto hit the bottom left corner. They maintained the lead going into half-time.

Croatia came into this match after being held to a 0-0 draw against Morocco in their first match. On the other hand, the Canadians narrowly lost out to Belgium in their first game. (ANI)

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Fugitive Zakir Naik Not Invited To FIFA By Qatar?

By LokMarg

Amid uproar over an invitation to fugitive Zakir Naik to take part in the FIFA World Cup in Doha, it is learnt that Qatar has told India through diplomatic channels that Naik was not invited.

Earlier Union Minister Hardeep Puri said, “India would convey its views on the matter in the ‘strongest possible terms’ to the authorities concerned.”
It was reported that Qatar has officially invited Zakir Naik to deliver Islamic sermons at FIFA. A section of the ruling BJP back home has called for a boycott of FIFA. However, Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhakar did attend the opening ceremony of the World Cup.

Naik, a televangelist lives in Malaysia, where he moved from India in 2016 and he reportedly got permanent residency there. India is seeking his extradition.

Zakir Naik is a wanted man in India and faces charges of spreading hate in India and also money laundering.

Ministry of Home Affairs declared Zakir Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation unlawful last year. Naik is accused of promoting hate, and disharmony, and his speeches are seen as objectionable as he has been extolling known terrorists promoting conversion and terrorism. (ANI)

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Japan Germany in FIFA World Cup

FIFA WC: Japan Script Memorable Comeback, Stun Germany 2-1

By LokMarg

Japan made a scintillating comeback to create a massive upset against Germany, defeating the four-time champions 2-1 in the group E match of the FIFA World Cup at the Khalifa International Stadium on Wednesday.

Germany was leading at the end of the first half but Japan scaled up their game in the second half, scoring in the 75th minute through Ritsu Doan and in the 83rd minute through Takuma Asano.
Takuma Asano was brought in as a substitution in the 57th minute and proved his mettle in the match as Japanese supporters yelled and cheered from the stands.

The second half saw the Japanese players come with a new fervour, zeal, and confidence as they dominated the ball possession and made constant runs to the German box.

Gundogan, who had scored for Germany through the penalty kick in the first half, continued his good form and came very close to scoring in the 60th minute but his the ball ricocheted off the goalpost to the huge disappointment of German fans.

Germany ended with superior ball possession and shots on goal but piercing attacks by the Japanese team left them vulnerable.

With this win, Japan has got to the top of the table in Group E which also features Germany, Costa Rica, and Spain.

Germany was leading Japan 1-0 at half-time after Ilkay Gundogan scored via penalty kick in the group E match at the Khalifa International Stadium on Wednesday.

Japan goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda failed to prevent a goal in the 32nd minute of the match. Gundogan netted the ball straight into the goal through a penalty kick to give Germany a 1-0 lead.

The four-time FIFA champions wasted no time and came out all guns blazing as they went deep inside the Japanese box in the second minute of the game and looked threatening from the beginning.

Daizen Maeda challenged German Antonio Rudiger to dribble the ball past him but the center-back was alert and cut the Japanese’ run short.

Maeda was in the reckoning once again in the 8th minute as he made a brilliant run to get to the ball perfectly and score, only to be called off-side.

There was a constant struggle between the sides for possession. Japan also had the advantage for some time.

Germany came close to scoring in the 16th minute with a superb corner kick from Joshua Walter Kimmich that was headed just a few inches wide by Rudiger.

A free-kick was given to Germany as Thomas Muller was brought down by Takefusa Kubo in the 18th minute but the Germans failed to score off it.

Gundogan troubled the Japan team with his brilliant football skill as he managed to constantly find vacant spaces in the field.

The German finally scored via a penalty to give Germany a one-goal lead over Japan.

Japanese players seemed a bit demotivated after trailing and faltered with the ball, giving possession to the German players in the first half.

Germany almost took a 2-0 lead in the closing minutes of the first half after Kai Havertz found the back of the net but was called off-side.

The result of the match was similar to that on Tuesday when Saudi Arabia had shocked fancied Argentina 2-1.

Japan caused an upset much similar to the match between Saudi Arabia and Argentina on Tuesday.

Both Japan and Saudi Arabia came from behind to clinch famous victories against their fancied rivals. (ANI)

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Iranian Football Team Players Refused To Sing Their National Anthem At FIFA

By LokMarg

The Iranian football team players on Monday refused to sing their national anthem before their opening match against England on Monday at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, in apparent solidarity with protesters back home.

The national team shows support for the anti-government protests taking place after Mahsa Amini’s death, reported Al Jazeera.
As Iran’s national anthem played at Khalifa International Stadium, television cameras showed the starting players standing stoically, but not singing. Iran lost the match to England, 6-2.

Iran has headed into the tournament amid a backdrop of mass protests against the regime, following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in September.

The unrest in Iran began in September when a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, died while in the custody of the morality police. Protests have since spread across the nation, challenging the authority of the government even as security forces have cracked down. Hundreds of people have died in the violence, reported Al Jazeera.

The decision not to sing the national anthem isn’t the first time the Iranian team has shown support for the protesters. In late September, the team opted to wear black jackets to cover the country’s colours in their friendly against Senegal.

Before flying out to Doha for the World Cup, the team met with President Ebrahim Raisi. The meeting didn’t go down well with protesters, and banners of the team were burned on the eve of the tournament.

Masih Alinejad, a New York-based activist from Iran, went further in her condemnation of the team, reported CBS News.

“Iran is the only country in the World Cup that its people want their national football team to lose since the team doesn’t represent the people but the regime,” she wrote.

Iran’s beach football, water polo, and basketball teams have also recently refused to sing the national anthem. At a news conference on Wednesday, the captain of Iran’s football team, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, refused to confirm if his team would sing the anthem.

“That’s something that also has to be decided about in the team, which we already talked about, and obviously everybody’s talking about,” he said.

Ahead of Monday’s game, some Iran fans in Qatar also signaled support for the protesters back home. They wore T-shirts saying, “Women, life, freedom”, which is the popular chant of the movement that has arisen since Amini’s death, reported Al Jazeera.

The decision by the football team to remain silent during the anthem on the sport’s biggest stage represents the boldest move so far from the country’s athletic stars. It is unclear whether players will face any consequences.

On Sunday, defender Ehsan Hajsafi became the first Iranian player at the World Cup to publicly speak out in support of the protests, reported Al Jazeera.

“They should know that we are with them and we support them and we sympathise with them regarding the conditions,” he said.

England also made a strong political gesture before kickoff by taking a knee in protest of racism and inequality. While they didn’t take a knee in their September friendlies, they’ve decided to do so ahead of every game they will play at the World Cup.

“We think it is a strong statement to go around the world for young people, in particular, to see that inclusivity is very important,” England manager Gareth Southgate said on Sunday.

At least 419 protesters have been killed since September, including 60 children, and more than 17,000 people have been arrested, according to the Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency’s latest statistics. The protests have rocked Iran since the killing in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16.

Initially led by women, the protests have grown into the most significant anti-government demonstrations the regime has faced since it came to power in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. (ANI)

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