Articles
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Destroying a Dream through Fair Play Rules
The World Cup. Football’s greatest competition. 32 national teams coming together to compete for the sport’s biggest trophy every four years. A spectacle watched by billions of people around the world. A chance to drive one nation to sheer ecstasy. Why on Earth is this footballing extravaganza ruined by ludicrous rules and regulations? For national…
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Russia’s Cellar Dwellers: #7-Egypt
When Mohamed Salah scored a 95th minute penalty to send Egypt to its first World Cup since 1990, the entire nation rejoiced, and every Egypt fan fell into a child-like state of joy and hope. Egypt had just barely squeezed its way into the World Cup, and when the group stage draw was revealed two months…
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Scouting World Cup Stars: Edgar Bárcenas
Panama may have been the worst team at the World Cup, but as the now viral video of Panamanian television broadcasters crying as Panama’s anthem was played at a World Cup for the first time reminds us, the World Cup is about so much more than winning. This tournament was a just reward for the…
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Romelu Lukaku: The Pace and Power Debate
Prior to the beginning of the 2018 World Cup, many called for Romelu Lukaku to be dropped from Roberto Martinez’s line-up, stating his incompatibility with the other Belgian attackers as their main reason for concern. Four appearances later, these same people should be looking back at their hot takes with shame. The Manchester United attacker…
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La Vida sin Zlatan
“Creo que hemos jugado muy bien estos dos años sin él. Es el mejor jugador que hemos tenido en Suecia, pero hemos aprendido a jugar sin él y creo que lo hemos hecho bien, debemos continuar de la misma forma” Marcus Berg Que la selección de Suecia que dirige Janne Andersson, se encuentre en cuartos de…
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The Autopsy of Egypt’s World Cup Collapse
When Mohamed Salah scored a 95th minute penalty to send Egypt to its first World Cup since 1990, the entire nation rejoiced, and every Egypt fan fell into a child-like state of joy and hope. Egypt had just barely squeezed its way into the World Cup, and when the group stage draw was revealed two months…
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Scouting World Cup Stars: Oghenekaro Etebo
Five days before Nigeria’s opening World Cup game against Croatia at the World Cup, news broke that Oghenekaro Peter Etebo had joined Stoke City from Portuguese side Feirense on a five-year contract for €7.2million. Etebo had reportedly turned down interest from a host of Premier League sides, including Leicester, West Brom and Newcastle United to…
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How England overcame the ghosts of their past to finally win a World Cup shootout
It has been 52 long years of hurt; yet the quiet optimism of England fans has exploded into a worldwide meme and a genuine belief that the nation can go all the way. Last night saw one of the worst fixtures in World Cup history as both England and Colombia put competition above honour. England…
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Scouting World Cup Stars: Miguel Trauco
While most Peruvian footballers on the national team are born in Lima and Callao, there are a few exceptions. Anderson Santamaría, the central defender born in Tingo María, Huánuco, is one of them. Luis Advíncula was born in Chincha, down in the southwest coast of Peru, but one of the stars of the team was…
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Belgium’s Golden Generation?
After Takashi Inui, the Real Betis man, scored and increased the deficit to two goals for Belgium early in the second half, the camera panned to the Red Devils’ manager, Roberto Martinez. Martinez looked unruffled as he was ruminating his next move. Subsequently, he made a double substitution, a move that seldom a manager will…
