Sport
Messi’s Argentina go through on penalties, but shock exit for Brazil
Argentina beat the Netherlands 4-3 in a penalty shootout to keep Lionel Messi’s World Cup dream alive on Friday after the Dutch had snatched a 2-2 draw from the jaws of defeat in an extraordinary quarter-final.
Emiliano Martinez saved the first two Dutch penalties to give Argentina a huge advantage and Lautaro Martinez sent Andries Noppert the wrong way to set up a date for the South Americans with Croatia in the semi-finals on Tuesday.
Messi celebrated with arms aloft in front of the massed ranks of Argentina fans, his hopes of securing football’s biggest prize at the fifth attempt intact for a few more days, Reuters reported.
“Argentina are among the four best in the world because they show that they know how to play every game with the same desire and the same intensity,” said the seven-times Ballon D’or winner.
“A lot of joy, a lot of happiness. We didn’t have to go to extra time or penalties, we had to suffer. But we got through and it’s impressive.”
The defeat was the first for the Dutch in 20 matches going back to last year’s European Championship and brought an end to 71-year-old Louis van Gaal’s third spell as coach.
It was the second time a Van Gaal team had lost to Argentina via a shootout in the knockout stages of the World Cup after a 4-2 defeat following a 0-0 draw in 2014 semi-finals.
Livakovic cements Croatia hero status
Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic cemented his hero status with a stunning display to help his team knock out five-time champions Brazil on Friday and reach the World Cup semi-finals.
The stopper had already won hearts back home after making three penalty saves against Japan in the last 16 shootout, which set his team on a collision course with favorites Brazil.
He produced a string of brilliant saves on Friday to keep Brazil’s attackers at bay and ensure Croatia reached extra time with the match goalless.
The game eventually finished 1-1, with Bruno Petkovic canceling out Neymar’s brilliant solo opener in the dying minutes of extra time.
The stage was set again for Livakovic and he did not disappoint, denying Rodrygo from the spot to help Croatia triumph 4-2 on penalties.
The 27-year-old made 10 saves against the Selecao, who were favorites to win the World Cup, on another historic night for Croatian football.
“We know if it comes to penalties we have the edge on our side,” said Croatia defender Borna Sosa. “He’s shown many, many times through his career he’s a magnificent goalkeeper.
“He gives us a lot of confidence because against a team like Brazil they will always have chances, because you cannot contain these kind of players.
“To win against Brazil you need to have this kind of luck a little bit, and a goalkeeper on the maximum level that we had today.”
Saturday’s line up
England will go up against France on Saturday looking to take another step towards World Cup glory. The Three Lions have won three of their first four matches in Qatar so far, with a draw against USA the only blotch on their record. And with the tournament going well, Gareth Southgate isn’t expected to make any changes when it comes to his starting XI.
England has been impressive so far, scoring 12 goals and overcoming the likes of Iran, Wales and Senegal to make the last eight of the competition.
In the other match of the day, Morocco will take on Portugal and, according to their coach, Walid Regragui, Morocco will have the backing of an entire continent when they attempt to become Africa’s first World Cup semi-finalists.
The North Africans will take on Portugal at Al Thumama Stadium as the first Arab nation to reach the last eight after beating Spain on penalties in the last 16.
A World Cup semi-final against either England or France is up for grabs, alongside a place in the history books.
Cameroon in 1990, Senegal’s 2002 side and the 2010 Ghana team all fell at the quarter-final stage.
“We have nothing to lose. The challenge is to do as well as we did in the previous games,” Regragui said on the eve of the match against Portugal.
“We want to show that Africa deserves to be here, Morocco deserves to be here.
Morocco have the best defensive record in the tournament, having conceded only one goal in their four matches.
Where to watch
Afghan fans need not miss out on any of the excitement of this year’s tournament which is being broadcast live and exclusively by Ariana Television in Afghanistan.
For the full broadcast schedule CLICK HERE
Afghanistan’s skipper Rashid Khan said on Saturday that he was “feeling super proud to have led my nation to this historic win.”
Taking to twitter after Friday night’s historic win against Pakistan in their first T20I series match in Sharjah, Rashid also said: “Couldn’t have asked for a better performance from our bowlers.”
Man of the match award however went to veteran player Mohammad Nabi who was recalled to the squad last week after stepping down as captain last year.
Speaking after Friday night’s match, Rashid hailed the team’s maiden T20 victory against Pakistan, by 6 wickets, but said their front-line batters need to improve ahead of the 50-overs World Cup in India later this year.
They restricted the young Pakistan side, led by Shadab Khan, to 92-9 and chased down the target with 13 balls to spare with Mohammad Nabi making an unbeaten 38 in the low-scoring contest to go with his two wickets with the ball.
“It’s a pleasure to win as we’ve always lost against them, sometimes with small margins,” Rashid said after the victory.
“Happy for the win, and we hope to continue the momentum.”
It was not an easy chase though as Afghanistan slumped to 27-3 before Nabi rescued them.
Rashid said their top order needed to perform better in the ongoing three-match series and maintain that form heading into the ODI World Cup in October-November.
“We need to improve not just for this series but as we get to the World Cup,” Rashid said.
“From now on, we need to put effort day by day and game by game, so that by the end of the year, when we go for the World Cup, we’ll have a fully prepared squad.”
Afghanistan will again take on Pakistan in the second T20 on Sunday.
Afghanistan secured a historic win over Pakistan during the first T20I match of the three-match series in Sharjah on Friday.
Afghanistan team registered a significant win by 6 wickets over Pakistan, the runner-up of the T20 World Cup 2022.
Batting first, Pakistan managed to score only 92 runs as the hosts wrapped up the match in the 18th over to register a 6-wicket win. Mohammad Nabi was named man of the match for his unbeaten 38-run knock, and wonderful performance against Pakistan.
After opting to bat first, Pakistan lost their opening wicket in the 3rd over as Saim Ayub got bowled out on 17. Team Pakistan suffered a dramatic collapse as they crawled to 92/2 in 20 overs.
The first wicket was the turning point as Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals to give Afghanistan momentum. Mujeeb Ur Rahman was the pick of the bowlers for Afghanistan as his spell of 2/9 in 4 overs broke Pakistan’s batting spine.
Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) Chief Executive Naseeb Khan said the best available players had been chosen. Spinner Rashid Khan will captain team Afghanistan in the T20 series against Pakistan. Former captain Mohammad Nabi is part of the squad.
Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Tuesday named a 17-member squad, led by Rashid Khan, for the three-match T20I series against Pakistan, which starts in Sharjah later this week.
According to the ACB, Mohammad Nabi, the team’s former captain, has been recalled while left-handed opener Sediqullah Atal has been added to the squad.
Atal could be a potential debutant for Afghanistan in the series, said ACB.
Nijat Masoud and Zahir Khan who were part of the Afghanistan squad during the UAE tour last month have been kept as reserves, while Rahmat Shah and Hazratullah Zazai have been excluded.
“Our team has been working hard in training camp and selectors have selected the best available players for the series. I am confident that our team will perform at their best and make our nation proud. We wish our team the best of luck for the series and hope to see them emerge victorious,” ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said.
“In addition, we look forward to an exciting competition between two great teams. Both nations have passionate fans who support their teams with enthusiasm and pride. As neighbors, we have a special bond and we hope to showcase not only our cricketing skills but also the spirit of friendship and sportsmanship. We wish both teams the best of luck and hope that cricket fans around the world will enjoy the games,” he added.
Afghanistan Squad: Rashid Khan (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Sediqullah Atal, Najibullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Fareed Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi and Naveen Ul Haq.
Reserve players include Nangyal Kharoti, Zahir Khan and Nijat Masoud.
Saar: US military equipment left in Afghanistan discussed
Minister Nadeem stresses importance of modern sciences
Rashid Khan ‘proud’ to have led Afghanistan to historic win
First major fire of year destroys 3,000 hectares in Spain
Biden warns Iran after tit-for-tat strikes in Syria
Afghanistan turns back 24 tankers carrying low-grade fuel from Iran
AFPL: Sarepul Bastanan 3-3 Etihad FC draw; Perozi Panjshir 11-1 Zaitoon FC
Turkey widens probe into building collapses as quake toll exceeds 50,000
Afghanistan collects $136 million in customs duties from coal exports
Efforts underway to expand exports via air corridors: MoIC
Saar: US military equipment left in Afghanistan discussed
Tahawol: Uzbekistan delegation visiting Kabul discussed
Saar: UNAMA’s call for Afghan girls’ education discussed
Tahawol: US policy on Afghanistan reviewed
Saar: War crimes by foreign forces in Afghanistan discussed
-
Latest News4 days agoLebanon and Afghanistan named unhappiest countries in the world
-
World4 days agoThailand dissolves parliament for crunch election in May
-
Science & Technology4 days agoTikTok hits 150 mln U.S. monthly users, up from 100 million in 2020
-
Latest News4 days agoOver 50 instances of artifact smuggling prevented in last 18 months: officials
-
Sport4 days agoAfghanistan’s T20 squad against Pakistan announced
-
Latest News4 days agoQatar hosts talks on future of education in Afghanistan
-
Health4 days ago80 Afghan children to get medical treatment in Germany: ARCS
-
Latest News2 days agoFaryab mother gives birth to quadruplets