#qatar live score

[ptvsport]

Qatar vs Senega LIVE FIFA World Cup updates: Starting lineups out; When, where to watch, Live streaming info, QAT vs SEN

Qatar vs Senega LIVE FIFA World Cup updates: Starting lineups out; When, where to watch, Live streaming info, QAT vs SEN

Welcome to Sportstar’s live blog of the Qatar vs Senegal World Cup Group A match from the Al Thumama Stadium. Starting Lineups Qatar: Meshaal Barsham, Pedro Miguel, Abdelkarim Hassan, Ismail Mohamad, Hassan Al-Haydos (captain), Akram Afif, Karim Boudiaf, Homam Ahmed, Assim Madibo, Boualem Khoukhi, Almoez Ali. Senegal: Eduoard Mendy, Youssouf Sabaly, Kalidou Koulibaly, Abdou Diallo, Nampalys…

[gloriesofsports]

gloriesofsports

[newscakra]

LIVE SCORE dan Jadwal Piala Dunia Qatar 2022

LIVE SCORE dan Jadwal Piala Dunia Qatar 2022

Simak informasi terbaru dan terupdate seputar Live Score Piala Dunia 2022 Qatar terlengkap, mulai dari jadwal pertandingan, fase grup atau klasemen sementara, top score piala dunia 2022 atau pencetak gol terbanyak disini : Link LIVE SCORE   Berikut adalah daftar jadwal Piala Dunia 2022 Qatar terlengkap: Grup A Negara: Qatar, Ekuador, Senegal dan Belanda Qatar vs Ekuador, 20 November 2022, pukul…

[augustinescruelsummer]

MEMORIES | CP10

IN which you and Christian exchange heartfelt memories from your relationship while watching the stars, surrounded by a warm night fire.

fem!reader x cp10

content: fluff. teeth rotting fluff. reminiscing. she cleans a wound of his. the World Cup injury. christian’s a lovesick softie !!!

AN: this is so sweet like my teeth are rotting after writing this wtf. I actually have no idea where this came from it feels like the deep hell pits of my brain but I lowkey really like it LMFAO. Also this GIF? MY GOD. LORD. I am FINE.

WC: 2.7k

"REMEMBER that time you went flying into the goalkeeper at the World Cup?" You ask Christian while he nurses a beer, the fire pit providing a warm haze to the domestic night. The sky was crystal clear, minus the smoke your fire provided the air, and it was a perfect night to gaze at the stars. He chuckles softly at the random comment while running a finger down your hair, "How could I forget?"

You didn't know why you made the comment, suddenly overwhelmed with a collection of nostalgic memories while gazing into the fire between you two. Maybe it was the domesticity of the scene, the sun just setting over the horizon on a cold night, the two of them cuddled under her favorite blanket pointing out stars.

"What made y'think about that?" He prompts further, readjusting his arm to allow her more space to come closer. A soft smile falls over her lips as she fully recalls the memory.

--

THE MEN'S WORLD CUP. 2022.

A sound of horror falls from your lips as Christian goes to kick the crucial goal, flying into the goalkeeper. You watch intently as a blur of trainers come sprinting over to him as he holds his groin in pain, people repping the American flag around you craning for a look at the scene. He had been down for a couple of minutes, partly in pain and appreciating the goal he had just scored. You had felt nauseous, partly due to the fact you'd never seen Christian be intensely injured on the field. He attempts to stand on his own and walk towards the medical facility, but his face contorts with pain as his weight collapses almost instantly on a nearby trainer. His teammates look on despondently at the American boy and his abrupt exit, congratulating him on the phenomenal goal.

-

"I was so embarrassed," he recalls looking down at you, pulling you out of the trip down memory lane. Your eyebrows furrow at the comment, never knowing he felt like that.

"Why in God's name would you be embarrassed about an injury, Chris?"

He shrugs in an attempt to dodge the question, leaning forward with a long stick to probe the firewood around.

"That wasn't a rhetorical question," you push as he spends longer than necessary on a piece of wood that didn't need adjustment.

"I honestly don't know. The whole time I was in my own head thinking about how not-badass the debacle was, and at the end of the day I knew I was never going to live it down. Interviewers asking me if we could still have children because of it and the picture from my story getting leaked. I was playing for the damn United States and was going to have an early exit because of a groin injury. It brought the team publicity at the end of the day, but I was still mortified."

You lean back to look at his expression while he reveals his thoughts, comfortable in confiding. "It felt like I was 14 years old getting punched in the balls at recess," he adds with a soft chuckle, turning the neck of the bottle around nervously.

"I thought it was quite the badass exit," you told him confidently, "You went viral on social media for being attractive and diving into a goalkeeper for your country. You were labelled Captain America. That is nothing to be embarrassed about."

A grin creeps over his bashful expression and your heart warms at the sight of it.

"I was worried about you in the moment," you told him earnestly as more of the memory unfolded in your mind.

-

MEN'S WORLD CUP. 2022.

Qatar. A country you knew next to nothing about when it came to locations of hospitals. Your hands were shaking at the whispers Christian was being sent to the hospital. There was no crash course on what to do when your husband gets injured in the World Cup. You flip your phone over in your hands, making the decision to exit your place in the stands. The match had continued and you considered staying, knowing Christian wouldn't want you to worry, but that was inevitable.

-

"I was researching hospitals left and right, wondering where they would take you," You recalled, not missing the feeling of dread that overcame over not knowing where Christian was being sent.

"Still can't believe you took a fucking Uber in a foreign country to come and find me," he said with a snort. Christian's heart heated at the thought of it, his wife doing anything she could to come and find him. Even though he was delirious due to the pain meds, Christian had still found time to text you where they were taking him. You were in the next Uber to him the second the text hit your inbox.

-

MEN'S WORLD CUP. 2022.

You gazed into his room, a nurse patiently attempting to take his vitals as he held a thumbs up and snapped a picture of him laying on the bed. The match was on the TV still, Americans rallying to celebrate the valiant efforts of the team. A grin was plastered on his face watching his friends embrace each other. "It's called soccer!" Musah screams at the camera lingering by him, the saying a play at Christian's viral photoshopped meme. You revel in Christian's laugh before bursting through the door, the nurse just finishing his vitals.

"Hi baby!" He greets when you appear in front of him, the excitement of seeing you after a major win outweighing any logic as to how you got here. Sickeningly, he would do the whole thing a million times over just to be babied by you.

-

The memory is snapped when Christian once again returns you to the present moment.

"God, I don't think I've ever seen someone so proud of me," he said while laying a chaste kiss on your cheek. "I thought you might be upset or embarrassed about the whole situation, but I was incredibly wrong. My girl took pride in the fact her husband put their kids on the line for America."

"Hell yeah!" You chanted, pumping your first in the air. You laughed at the recollection of social media going wild after the event was over, fans wondering if their favorite football couple would still be able to have children. Talk about patriotic.

The fire crackled as a comfortable silence enveloped the couple once again, both of them in their own world thinking about heartfelt memories.

Christian, thinking about when he tied for the 17th International Goal Record in qualifying against Mexico, pulling up his jersey to display his celebration. "MAN IN THE MIRROR," his undershirt read in haphazardly written Sharpie, a true display of his poor penmanship. The moment froze in time, though, when he looked up from his shirt into the boxes and made eye contact with you in the crowd. He swore his heart stalled.

Along with the rest of the American crowd, you were screaming his name out for all the field to hear. His name, an action that had him transfixed watching the stands. You stared at him, shouting the three syllables of his surname, which were heavily enunciated so he knew what was being chanted.

He rose his pointer finger up at you, a sly wink in your direction catching the eye of the camera man. He followed the receiving end of the wink, and there, on the jumbo tron, was you turned around pointing at the proud PULISIC plastered on your back while he motioned towards you.

He took a swig from the bottle beside him to distract his mind from going down every single memory his heart held with you. It was a tempting offer. Christian watched you adjust so your head was in his lap, folding the blanket over both your bodies to fit. You scrolled through the Barnes and Noble app searching for a new book to read as Christian watched the stars twinkle in the night sky.

"Whatcha thinking about, Chris?" You pat his knee a couple moments later to catch his attention, noticing the dazed look in his eyes.

"You."

Your heart sped up at the word, confident it was now a puddle on the lawn. He continued his thought without being prompted,

"Thinkin' about that time when I scored my first ever goal in the pros and you blew me a kiss, and I knew right then that I was gonna marry you." He grinned wickedly down at you, "Thinkin' about that time I scored and the screens caught you with audio screaming I was your 'Captain America'. Hearing my own wife use the nickname was the only thing left needed to die peacefully." He gazes down at you lovingly, capturing your lips to secure the sentiment and sweetness of the moment shared.

"Those two moments you just described," you told him suddenly flipping to where you lie on your back, gazing up at his face. "Are some of my favorite moments too. I was so proud of you I thought my heart would burst, and I was wondering how much jail time I would serve for jumping the fence."

"Jail time?" He asked inquisitively with a laugh, "I don't know what'd I would do if security tried to manhandle you off the pitch for jumping. I wouldn't have enough time to stop laughing to help."

You both giggled at the thought of it. "Y'know after I called you Captain America on the 'tron, I sat back down and went on Amazon to get you a lego set of his shield. It didn't come in the mail until three weeks later because it had to be custom made."

He splits into a smile thinking about the gift, it sitting on the trophy case in the bedroom. It hadn't been moved since he placed it, being featured in personal interviews in zoom calls during lockdown. He took anytime to talk about it when given the opportunity, being his favorite gift ever. It was a fairly large shield, custom made and built with a "Pulisic" engraved in an arch into the middle.

He remembered when he unwrapped and squealed like a little girl, holding it in his hands like a newborn. "Baby, this is the best gift I've ever gotten! It's not even near my birthday!" You had come up behind him, wrapping your arms around his waist fondly.

"I got it 'cause I love you and I'm proud of you," you told him, leaving a sweet kiss in between his shoulder blades. He blushed under the praise. "Can I frame it?" He asks, gently setting it down on the kitchen counter. "Do whatever your heart desires, baby," you told him with a joyous expression.

"Y'wanna hear my memory, Chris?" You ask him while staring at the stubble beginning to grown in on his face. You take notice of an ingrown hair that needs to be removed before he starts itching and complains at the burn. He hums an affirmation, finishing off his beer.

"My memory is when you got that nasty turf burn after a Chelsea match, and instead of going to have the trainer clean it, you brought it home for me to deal with."

He laughs wholeheartedly, "What can I say? There's nothing better than being babied by your wife." You roll your eyes at him, appreciating his full honesty. Christian has no shame in his love for his wife.

You had freaked out when he walked through the threshold of your old shared apartment, his shoes squeaking on the freshly cleaned carpet.

"Christian!" You had chastised from the couch without looking up, "Take your dirty shoes off, were you raised in a barn!?" He doesn't respond, causing you to look up with a frustrated demeanor, before taking notice of his bloody knee.

"Christ, baby, I thought you would've gotten that looked at before you left the field," you said, beckoning him closer. Christian tries to not let the joy he's feeling show at the thought of you having to take care of him, knowing it's about to occur. He's a softie, what can he say?

"I needed my favorite doctor to look at it?" He tells you with a charming grin, phrasing it like a question in an effort to avoid a lecture.

You don't put up a fight, guiding him to sit in one of the dining chairs while you disappeared into the bathroom to get antiseptic and Advil. You pour him a cup of water, double checking to make sure you were giving him the right amount Advil. You always had an irrational fear of your star boyfriend overdose on it because of a misread by you. Satisfied with the information the bottle had given you the previous ten times you had read it, you reentered the battlefield, aka Christian's knee.

Meanwhile, Christian had been smiling like a fool at the TV running post-match highlights of his game. It was such a small thing for you to turn the matches on while working from home, but it meant the world to him. He knew you had probably sat on the couch with your feet tucked under you, the work iPad you lugged around resting in your lap as you worked. The TV was probably set to a low volume, not loud enough to distract you, but quiet enough so you could still listen for your husband's name. You wore an oversized Chelsea T-Shirt, his name adorning the back per usual.

"This is gonna sting," you told him drily, holding no sympathy for your husband at the moment. He had to know you were not qualified in any sort to be cleaning up a pro soccer player's wounds, but yet here you were at 11:30 on a Monday night.

"I have work tomorrow," you stated as you stared at the alarmingly late numbers on the oven clock, which motivated you to harshly rub the antiseptic onto the burn.

"Jesus, baby! Is it really necessary to do it this rough?" He asked you, biting his lip. You didn't respond, outstretching your free hand for him to squeeze which he took gratefully.

"You know, if the team trainer had done this it probably would've hurt less," you said through gritted teeth, taking one last swipe down the wound.

"Ok, ow! Fuck!" He whined at the contact and you rolled your eyes, resisting the urge to call him a big baby. You were not particularly inclined to be dealing with his antics this late, even though you loved Christian more than anything. You slapped a bandage onto the burn, placing a kiss to it, making the classic smile return to his face at the tradition.

"I'll make you breakfast tomorrow morning to make up for the fact I kept you up," he told you while sliding off the chair. You smiled at his words, always a giver.

"Baby, it's fine. You can if you want to, but I tend to your wounds and shit because I love you and want to take care of you." You gave him a kiss on the lips before handing him his water and Advil. "I put you out some sleep clothes after the game ended, I figured you'd be tired," you said while filling up your own water bottle at the fridge. Christian smiled like a fool, wrapping you into his arms for a proper hug once you were done at the fridge.

"God, I love you. Thank you," he said, placing a kiss on the top of your head before making his way to the shower.

One of your favorite things was reminiscing on moments like these with Christian, moments where the health of your relationship shown through. There were so many you could laugh about with him. Christian stood up after another stretch of comfortable silence, attempting to put the fire out to the best of his abilities. You folded the blanket up and placed his bottle in the trash facing away from him. You heard the whoosh of the flames going out, and then felt a tattooed arm wrap around you, scooping you up. He carried you into your house bridal style, a delirious grin on his face the whole way up the stairs, drunk on the joyous memories.

[applejuicefruit]

hiii! can i request you being kylian mbappè best friend and going with him at the world cup and there you meet olivier giroud and you both fall in love but kylian is very protective of you and don’t want you to date because of your age difference (reader being 22/23 and oli 36) so he protects her and he’s jealous please ❤️

Please yes😭

Thank you for requesting this I hope you like it ❤️❤️

In your eyes

World Cup was this year and you couldn’t wait to go with your best friend and his family.

You and Kylian were best friends since you were kids. Due to the fact that your parents were friends you grew up together and were really close friends. You always attended his games, you supported him no matter what and he made sure to beat the shit of your ex boyfriend when you found out he cheated on you.

Unfortunately you missed World Cup 2018 and you couldn’t go with him but this year it would have been different. Kylian invited you and your family to join him at the WC in Qatar and you couldn’t be more enthusiastic.

Kylian also promised you that you could meet all the football players and you honestly couldn’t wait. You were a huge football fan so just the fact that you could watch his matches live made you happy but to think about that you were going to meet the french team? You were dreaming.

After the first game Kylian kept his promise. France won against Australia and of course Kylian scored in that match - so now the team came back to the hotel and celebrated.

Kylian invited you on their floor so you could celebrate with them and in that way he could introduce you to them.

You melted the moment you met Antoine Griezmann, one of your favorite football player ever but someone else caught your attention.

“Hi…I’m Olivier Giroud, nice to meet you!” he introduced himself shaking your hands and in that moment you felt like dreaming

“Hi nice to meet you! I’m y/n!” you shook his hands too

“What a beautiful name!” he smiled at you and in that moment you felt your legs going jelly. What was going on with you?

“Oh thank you…” you replied shyly “you play for Milan right?” you asked him trying to make a little bit of conversation

“Yes! I’m glad you know that!” he told you with a surprised look

“Yes I’m a huge football fan actually…it’s kind of a dream being here” you said honestly

“I’m glad Kylian took you here” he said now teasing you a bit

“Oh…yes I’m glad too!”

“Hope you enjoy the rest of the night!” he said hugging you and going back to his friends when they called him

What did just happened?

You were sure you were dreaming. Olivier Giroud, aka, one of the most handsome man in the whole world just flirted with you? You were kinda left paralysed until you heard Kylian’s brother calling you and telling you to go with him and eat something.

But as you were happy, Kylian wasn’t as happy as you. He saw everything and it kinda made him mad the fact that you were drooling over one of his teammates. Kylian was very protective of you, especially due to the fact that you were younger, you were 22 and he was 23 so he felt more protective and always acted more like a big brother. He wasn’t jealous, he always supported when you got into new relationships but he wasn’t enthusiastic about your boyfriend choices. They always ended up cheating on you, breaking your heart or treating you like shit so Kylian had to put them in right place.

He just had no idea why you were drooling over Olivier.

“Hey Kyky I’m going back to my room, thank you so much for inviting me here, I really appreciate it” you said to Kylian and he simply nodded and smiled to you.

You left and went straight into your bedroom, taking a quick shower and changing into some comfy pajamas, going straight to bed and staring at the ceiling thinking about what happened tonight.

A few minutes later you saw a notification from instagram.

“Olivier Giroud has started following you” and you were literally going crazy.

How did he found you?

Probably he stalked Kylian’s instagram since he has a couple of pictures with you but they’re kinda old.

That man was really a tease.

You fell asleep almost 20 minutes later, smiling and thinking that maybe this holiday would be good for you.

You woke up with some heavy knocks on your door.

“Wake up sleepyhead! The sun is shining and I want you to have breakfast with us” Kylian said from the other side of the door

“Ky what time is it?” you asked him with your low voice

“Time you wake up! The guy’s won’t wait for you and they’ll finish all the good food!”

“I’m coming I’m coming!” you said not even hearing what he said but then everything clicked - the guys - he invited you to have breakfast with him and the team, meaning Olivier would be there too! Now you were up and getting ready, opting for a nice t-shirt and a pair of jeans, nothing to fancy since you didn’t want to be the centre of attention.

“Look who’s up!” Kylian said the moment you opened the door and you simply smirked at him while he hugged you.

You both got down where everyone were having breakfast. You noticed you weren’t the only woman since almost every footballers wife were there too.

You sat next to Kylian who was facing his brother.

“Can I sit here?” a voice you recognized very well asked you while pointing to the chair in front of you

“Sure” you replied him smiling while he sat

“Did you sleep good?” he asked you and you nodded while never stop smiling. Kylian was looking between the two of you to see if you could notice the way he was feeling uncomfortable but you and Olivier were too focused on each other’s presences to even notice it.

“So” Kylian said making you both look toward him “Olivier how’s Angela?” he asked him and you could feel his look tense. Now who was this Angela?

“I think she’s good, I don’t know” Olivier replied a bit annoyed by this question

“I thought you were dating…or kinda, had a thing going on?” he asked knowing this might hurt you but he didn’t want you to have a crush on Olivier - he knew how football players change their girlfriends like their socks and he didn’t want you do be a replacement or a rebound to some failed dates

“No we were not dating Kylian…” he answered sipping his black coffee

“Oh my bad…” he said smirking a bit and you had no idea of what was going on

“Angela is a model” Kylian explained to you “and she had a thing going on with Olivier back in Milan, we talked about her when we were playing for the Nations League but then I haven’t heard anything about her” he finished explaining and you simply nodded.

A model?

Of course a model.

Football players have high standards. They don’t date girls like you. They look for models or influencers or perfect girls with perfect bodies and perfect smiles. You were not of those and it kinda hurt you.

“We flirted a bit in the summer…nothing to serious” Olivier stated and you nodded pretending you didn’t care.

After that you had breakfast in silence thinking of your next moves.

While you and Ethan were talking you didn’t notice Olivier and Kylian talking in the corner of the room.

“Kylian was that necessary?” Olivier asked him

“Yes it was. I don’t want you near her”

“It’s not your choice to make Kylian”

“But it is if I can help her making the right choice…I don’t want you two to date”

“Can I at least know the reason?” Olivier asked him. He was a very calm man but right now he was losing his patience

“I’ve seen her growing up! She’s my best friend and I want her to protect her!”

“Protect her from me?” Olivier asked a little bit hurt now

“Yes. Protect her from getting her heart break again! She’s been through so much, she’s kind and she let people taking advantage of her without her noticing…she got her heart broken so many times and I can’t stand to see her again like that, not because of you Olivier” Kylian said honestly

“I wouldn’t break her heart”

“You don’t know that! Plus, Oli be realistic, you’re kinda old for her don’t you think? You’re 36 and she just turned 22!” Kylian was getting mad now

“Well she’s an adult she can make her own choices Kylian. I really appreciate you taking care of her but I would never break her heart, I like her, a lot. Definitely falling in love wasn’t on my top list of things to do during the world cup but I fell for her the moment I saw her at the stadium cheering for us! Kylian trust me…”

Olivier said with a sincere tone

“I don’t know…she’s my best friend and if you hurt her I swear-“

“I’m not gonna hurt her…I want take things slowly…I saw that she liked me too and if she’s okay with it I want to ask her out tonight…”

“Olivier…”

“Trust me Kylian…and if I hurt her you can kick my ass” Olivier said laughing

“I’ll do more than just kick your ass…I broke her ex nose when I found out he cheated on her” Kylian said with a proud look and Olivier just looked shocked

“Good to know…well, I’m gonna ask her out…” Olivier said looking at you laughing with Ethan and he couldn’t help but smile too

“Good luck” Kylian said and smiled at him and then he left.

Olivier approached you while you were talking with Ethan.

“Can we talk?” Olivier asked you offering his hand to help you stand up and you gladly accept it

“Did something happened?” you asked him once you got in the corridor

“Yes, well no, not exactly I just…”

“Are you okay Oli?” you asked him and he melted when you called him Oli

“Are you free tonight?” he asked you out of nothing

“Yes!” you shouted “I mean, yes why?”

“There’s a nice restaurant next to the hotel and I was wondering if you would like to come with me?” he asked you smiling

“As a date?” you teased him a bit

“As a date” he confirmed

“Yes, I would gladly come with you”

“Perfect! Be ready at 8 pm! I’ll pick you up from your hotel room” he said before leaving “I have training now but I’ll see you tonight”

And you simply smiled at him.

You had a date with Olivier Giroud?

You were so happy you couldn’t wait for tonight. You honestly thought this holiday would be good for you. The man you had a crush on wanted to take you for dinner and you felt like dreaming and all you had to do was thank Kylian for giving you this opportunity.

[masnmountz]

falling for you - pedri gonzalez

SUMMARY - the world cup has just begun, and tensions are high, but so is the excitement.

PAIRING - pedri gonzalez x fem!reader

SONG INSPO - n/a

WARNINGS - none

WORD COUNT - 1.7k

NOTE - hi! this is my first fic on here! i hope you enjoy reading this!

you and pedri had been good friends for a while, and your families had been close for as long as you could remember.

so when pedri invited your family to watch him at the world cup with his own family, you were of course excited, but not shocked.

the date had started to get closer and you were getting more excited by the day.

in celebration you had pedri over for a casual dinner and movie, something the two of you had done for years, even in your schooling days.

the doorbell rang just as you had finished putting in the pizza order. you opened it to find a very smiley pedri. he was wearing a plain black t-shirt paired with red and black flannel pajama pants.

"hey, so when are we ordering food? i'm starving?"

his statement makes you giggle. pedri standing there and awkwardly chuckles, but he is being 100% serious.

"i already ordered it, it should get here in like 10 minutes".

the two of you make your way to your living room and takes your places on the couch. you start browsing movies, and everything you say you think looks good, pedri shoots down before requesting his movie ideas. as you bicker about what to watch, the doorbell rings, which sends pedri running towards the door. he greets the delivery man, grabbing the pizza box as if his life depends on it. he closes the door and immediately opens the box, grabbing a slice from it and taking a bite.

"PEDRI! PLATE!" you yell like a mother.

the two always had this type of relationship, you being the mature and logical one, and pedri being childish and careless, although as a person, he was very caring.

you both agree on the first harry potter, which you had seen maybe 50 times, but it's not like you didn't want to see it 51 times.

the movie soon came to an end, both you and pedri tired and full.

"so i'll see you in qatar then?"

"yup! and in case i don't see before your first match, good luck"

-

you had finally arrived in qatar, you were met with the most beautiful hotel. after a long flight all you wanted to do was take a nice long rest in your hotel bed, which is of course what you did. this was like a vacation, and you were going to take advantage of the entirety of the trip. spain's first match wasn't until tomorrow, so you had the whole day to do whatever.

qatar was definitely one of the most amazing places you had ever visited, the weather was amazing and the country just had such amazing natural beauty.

you didn't get back to your hotel room until around 12 in the morning, which wasn't crazy late, but considering kickoff was at 11 in the morning, getting back this late definitely wasn't ideal.

-

you woke up the next morning at around 8, still enough time to get ready and get to the stadium.

you were of course wearing pedri's name on your back to show your support. you go to the stadium with his family and yours around 10 AM. the atmosphere was incredible. you had been to a number of pedri's games, but never once did the energy in the stadium feel as amazing as it did right now.

a good number of people had already gotten there, and you watched as the fans from all over the world joined together in the different sections of the stadium to support their country.

you, your family, and pedri's family were all sitting pretty close to the pitch and spain's bench area. it was right next to the tunnel as well, so you would see all the player walk out before the game.

the game had only just started, and you already had a strong feeling of who would win, and you weren't just saying that because it was your own country. costa rica was going to get crushed, and at the 11th minute, dani olmo scored spains first goal.

the game ends with spain beating costa rica 7-0.

you knew spain would win, but 7-0 is stil an impressive score.

the crowd was cheering, no spanish fan leaving yet. the energy was to amazing. you were smiling wider than ever, and just taking in this victory. you catch the eyes of a certain brunette boy and give him a bright smile. he shly smirks, looking down at his feet before looking back up at you, giving a dorky thumbs up.

something about that small gesture made you blush.

-

you were waiting in a "private" area near the locker rooms where family and friends were allowed to be in, waiting for the players. you were waiting there anxiously for pedri to come out, and the second he did walk out you immediately smiled.

the first person pedri noticed was you. he couldn't hold back a smile, and walked over and gave you a hug. the hug was warm, comforting, and you were melting into it.

you were brought back to a cold reality as pedri loosened his embrace. he was looking straight into your eyes before you gave him another, quick, but warm hug.

"you did amazing, pedro"

pedri went to talk with family and absorb the praise, but what just happened between you and him didn't leave his mind.

pedro

a name you never really called him, not since you were little at least. it was a name you only called him in heartfelt moments.

your family and pedri's decided to go out for a late lunch to celebrate the victory. although pedri's mother practically begged him to rest, he insisted on going.

the restaurant was small and cozy, and you had gotten outdoor seating, which was even better. you took a seat near the middle of the table, and pedri sat right next to you. you gave him a shy, but warm smile, in which he returned.

"hi"

"hi"

you ordered a caesar salad and pasta with meat sauce. it was a sort of comfort food, and it was possibly the best pasta and meat sauce you had ever eaten. pedri turned to look at you, and once you noticed him, his eyes light up a little.

"could i try a bite of your pasta, it looks really good" he asked shyly. it was normal for you and him to try each others food. the two of you had done this for years.

"yeah of course!"

small moments like this have seemed to last forever recently. any small exchange you two had seemed like an eternity.

"excuse me, i need to use the restroom"

you placed your napkin on the table, grabbed your phone, and got up. inside the restaurant was louder, especially since there was a bar. it was a nice, homey feeling, and you couldn't help but smile. places like these were some of your favorite. comforting restaurants with an amazing atmosphere is so much better than an elegant, fancy restaurant with a bland, cold, vibe to it, in your opinion.

as you walked out of the bathroom door you are met with a brunette boy standing in front of you. you look up to see a familiar boy looking into your eyes with a smirk planted on his face.

"pedri, you scared me" you laugh out.

"can we talk?"

the question caught you off guard. you just come out of the bathroom, pedri is standing there waiting for you, and he asks to talk. he wasn't usually like this, being all weird and slightly spontaneous.

"yeah, sure"

he puts his hand on the back of your back to guide you to outdoor seating in the back. it was more private and there wasn't anyone out here. there was a little garden and a patio. it was peaceful, but you could still hear the music from inside.

it was silent between the two of you as you walked around the back patio. you went over to look at the garden. it was small, but had to most beautiful flowers.

"y/n..."

the sound of pedri's voice causes you to look back at him. he seemed nervous, but you could tell he was trying his best to hide it.

"y/n, i have something to tell you. i've felt this way for a long time, and i just can't keep it a secret anyone. y/n, i love you"

his words caught you off guard. you had definitely felt a shift in your relationship with him, especially within the last few days, but hearing those words come out of his mouth still shocked you. you were almost at a loss for words.

"pedri, i-"

he cut you off.

"i know this might change our relationship, but i know i would regret not telling you. i can't loose you, y/n. i understand you may not feel the same way, but please, please don't close doors on me"

you ow had no words. you were truly, and utterly stumped. pedri had been choking up, and you could tell he was desperate, not for your love, although he did want that, but he was desperate not to loose you completely.

"oh pedri" is all you could get you. you go over to him and cup his face.

"i love you too"

his mind was racing. he was not expecting you to say that.

next thing he knew, your lips were on his. the kiss was passionate, full of admiration and warmth. on of your hands fell from his face to his chest, while his hands snaked around your waist.

pedri deepened the kiss, which earned a slight moan out of you, causing pedri to smirk. the two of you broke the kiss, trying to catch your breath.

you just looked at each other with smiles plastered on both of your faces. pedri leaned his forehead to rest against yours, pulling you closer into his embrace.

"shall we get back to lunch?" he asks. you chuckled and nodded. the two of you separated and walked back inside. you were trying so desperately to hide your big smile so no one would suspect anything. you wanted to keep your moment with pedri a secret, at least for now.

[final-script]

At What Point | Julian Alvarez

Pairing: Julian Alvarez x Reader

Sumary: At what point do you begin your feelings for each other.

Warnings: English is not my first language !!!.There are probably many mistakes (I will correct them later),

Gif: rubendiasatl

-------------------------

In all these years of knowing each other, I always asked myself the same question.

At what point, did I fall in love with my best friend?

Well... I think that question will never have an answer.

The day we met, we immediately noticed that special connection, cliché I know, but it was so, that same day we exchanged our numbers, to arrange some other exit.

That trust and friendship continued to grow, to a point where we decided to move in together.

All his friends and co-workers sometimes made fun of us, because they said we looked like a couple.

For a long time I ignored his words, until suddenly, one day I began to imagine myself joining him, a different life. 

Not as her friend, but as something else, but she quickly discarded that idea for fear that my feelings would ruin our friendship.

(...)

As I said besides sharing a house, we did many things together. One of those was that he, as much as I did not want to, paid me, the tickets and transfers to the matches, both inside and outside the country. He said not to do it, but if there was one thing he had, it was what he is very stubborn. When something gets into his head, there is no one to make him change his mind. (...)

At present, Julian was in Qatar playing the World Cup and how they should suppose, I am supporting him. 

After one of the games, they gave the players a late release to share some time with their families and I entered those people was me.

Y/N- you're the best, congratulations.   Hugging my best friend.

J- we both know you say it, just because you're my friend.

Inside the boy regretted having said those words, at the same time in which he was silent, he wanted to say everything, confess to his friend the feelings that he kept a lot.

Everyone who knew him, knew the feelings of the chicó towards Y / N, many knew that, but what they did not know what, if Argentina managed to become world champion, Julian would confess all his feelings at last, without thinking about what could happen.

He could go on all the same, or not see it forever, but it would be a risk he was willing to take.

Hour and half later, the time of visit ended and it was time to say goodbye until the next day, to see each other after the big game.

Y/N- created that it's time, and I said it several times but still so I want to do it again, for me you are the best person in the world and you are living one of the best experiences, many would like to be where you are, but this time it was your turn, I want you to know that you win or not, (para mi sos el mejor jugador del mundo) for me you will always be the best player in the world. 

Both gave each other a hug that lasted several minutes, which was both very short, but very expressive.

J- If I manage to score, it will be for you, thanks for accompanying me forever. Another short hug and they said goodbye to go each to their hotel, at least, wives, girlfriends and families of the players.

Valentina, (Enzo's girlfriend), who was my roommate, was waiting for me to go together to the hotel, which was not far from where the players are staying.

V- me preguntó ,cuándo será el día en el que se te diga que le gustas? (He asked me, when will be the day when you are told that he likes you?)

Y/N- what do you say?

V- come on, do not make you know enough, as to know that both feel something for the other. 

Y/N- I would give you the reason, if you had it, but how is it not, I will not give it to you, we are friends, if that's what you wanted to know.

V- but you have not denied me what attracts you, quiet, I do not need you to tell me, I know, also your face gives you away. 

I wanted to cover my face with my hair to hide the blushing that had formed on my face.

I didn't say anything, because if I did I would end up telling him things I didn't want anyone to know, but as Vale said, my face gave me away and there was no way to hide it.

The next day

Early in the morning, all the families got up early to have breakfast, then have all the time free, to prepare and then rest some before the game.

Before leaving the hotel to go to the stadium, I decided to write a message for my friend, even knowing that does not read it.

The message said, how proud of him I was for having come this far, that I enjoyed the moment, I wished him good luck and a I love you.

Already in the stadium, one of the managers, I take to the places reserved for families.

As time went on, the Y/N nerves grew why he wanted his friend to reach the long-awaited World Champion title and Julian's were even worse, the nerves of playing a world final, but the nerves that if they won would confess to his best friend all his feelings.

(...)

When the referee started the match, Argentines and French began to encourage their teams.

 After the first half, the result was 2-0, in favor of the Argentine team.

In the second half, everything happened, but everything ended with the victory of Argentina.

Y/N-they did it Vale, they did it.       Hugging carefully not to crush little Olivia in his embers.

V-they did, they're great.

After they set up the peuqeño stage and will give the medals, prizes and the cup, to each team, a security officer came to tell us that we could go down to congratulate the boys.

Then I went in search of my friend who was embracing with Enzo, he saw, spoke in Julian's ear and left.

Y/N- won't it, my best friend, world champion?

J- I think I am... Both hugged tightly and when they separated, their faces were very close together. -and... I tell you... I have to... tell you something,n... I do not know what will happen after e.. this,pe... but it is something that can not wait longer, I do not know how or when it happened, I only know that since I discovered it, I could not ignore it, I do not know if you feel the same, but I have to say it, ME GUSTAS (I LIKE YOU).

At that moment, the girl's heart seemed to stop upon hearing those words, it could not be possible that he also had the same feelings as her.

J- you will say na... nothing?

Y/n- I don't know what to say, I thought that only those things happened to me.

J- now, you are discovering that it is not so, now that you know everything and you have not run away, it will be easier to do this ...

And without saying the kiss anymore, at the beginning they were somewhat shy about the place, but then they realized what we cared about were just the two of them. 

Then it was like this, how two best friends of a lifetime, confessed their feelings and began a new life together as a couple.

-------------------

ANOTHERS

 From The Beginning - Ruben Dias x Reader

Decisions - Jack Grealish x Reader

[herohimbowhore]

On This Day in F1: March 7th

Present: Saudi Arabia Day 1

History: 2004 Australian Grand Prix

The second race weekend of the year begins on March 7th as rumors continue to spiral and the integrity of the sport is brought into question after question. It’s been a disappointing and frustrating few days when it comes to Formula 1.

But we did get the first sessions of F1 Academy today — free practice and qualifying. Not only are sessions live-streamed on F1TV, but also on YouTube for free.

F2 is also in Saudi Arabia for the weekend and by the looks of it, Prema is getting back to the front after a disappointing start in Bahrain.

20 years ago, the Formula 1 circus was not in Saudi Arabia, but down under for the Australian Grand Prix.

The 2004 season opening race was important for many reasons.

One: It was the first win in Michael Schumacher’s campaign for his seventh (and last) world championship — a race that he dominated by starting from pole position and leading every lap.

(Image from Wiki)

Two: Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello finished 1-2 which gave Ferrari its first 1-2 finish since the 2002 Japanese Grand Prix.

Three: Australia 2004 was the 150th race for the McLaren-Mercedes partnership. But it was not a successful race as McLaren was only able to score 1 point. Kimi Raikkonen had to retire the car on lap 9 due to engine/spin issues. Meanwhile, David Coulthard was able to score a point for the team when he finished in 8th place and 1 lap down from the leader.

——

Previous: Mar. 2 — 2010 Team US F1 Shuts Down

Next: Mar. 8 — Saudi Arabia Day 2

On This Day in F1 Masterlist

If you want some Sunday motorsport, IndyCar has its first race in St. Petersburg that starts at 12pm EST. NASCAR is in Phoenix which starts at 3:30pm EST. MotoGP is also racing on Sunday in Qatar at 1pm EST.

[queenwille]

Does it ever get exhausting belittling Palestinians who share donation posts begging for help because the terrorism at the hands of Israel is making their lives a living hell? Even when these posts have been vetted and proven to be legit while you just whine on and on about how they’re all “scammers”

IT SURE DOES

oh honey, vetted is even worse, it goes directly to hands of hamas to fund terror (+the lavish life of their leaders in qatar. well, less now since haniyeh X,X…….) 😱

honestly i’d even rather it goes to some heartless lowlife somewhere in the globe, who’s using the conflict to score some extra bucks to do idk what, than to assist hamas in scamming the world while abusing/killing its own people and denying it it’s basic human needs (from y’all’s money) while humiliating them and using them as human shields (there are videos of them doing so in gaza when humanitarian aid trucks come in, you can google it. the idf actually published a video of them stopping some hamas unite from doing it in rafah today), or for them to use that money and UNWRA facilities and personal for terror against israel and israeli civilians.

so to answer your question, i’m definitely exhausted. so fucking exhausted. can you make them stop, please?

i do wonder though, how do you verify them? how do you think it reaches those specific individuals in such reality? why do you think they’ve reached the point they need to post those and cannot get more organized assistance?

[myimaginarywonderland]

I know Lance can win a race this year but I need you all to understand that it can only be specific races and that on certain circuits he is forbidden of winning because I genuinely fear how fans might react on those. So, here's the list.

Circuits where Lance is allowed to win and I want him to win:

- Baku (The place where he won his first podium being the place where he gets his first win? Iconic)

- Canada (Homerace glory. Also the race where he scored his first points. And after missing it quiet a lot in the last years I would love this.)

- Texas (Cowboy Lance lives in my mind rent free)

- Las Vegas (I don't know why but seeing Lance brag about betting George, this is a huge yes)

Circuits where Lance is allowed to win:

- Monaco (I don't see why he would receive hostility here and it could be kind of iconic)

- Japan (Some of the best fans so I trust it and you know tends to be wet races)

- Brazil (Listen, I love that track. I also would say the fans there love racing more than in some other places)

Circuits where I am not sure :

- Miami (Genuinely no idea how the fans are there. Are there even fans or just celebs?)

- Imola (I fear for him if he wins over a Ferrari but I could see him being tolerated there if he beats the RedBulls)

- Silverstone (Are British fans bad when someone else wins on home soil expect Lewis? Genuinely no clue. I think it would still be okay though.)

- Hungary (do not trust.)

- Monza (again probably cheering over RedBull but do not trust it fully)

- Singapore (this one is more of I don't have a clue of how fansbases look there but it seemed fine so far?)

- Qatar (No idea but mostly don't vibe with it)

- Mexico (I feel like some fans are still holding a grudge there against him)

- Abu Dhabi (This race is just ruined for me now, sorry.)

Circuits I absolutely do not want him to win at:

- Spain (Girl, if he wins over Fernando in that Aston or even god forbid gets AMs first victory before Fernando, those people will probably skin him alive)

- Austria (I do not trust RedBull fans especially after the last years and the shit they pulled)

- Spa (I just don't like the track)

- Zandvoort (Fuck no. The seem reason as for Spain)

[ptvsport]

France vs Denmark LIVE, FIFA World Cup: Lineups out! Qatar 2022 score and updates

France vs Denmark LIVE, FIFA World Cup: Lineups out! Qatar 2022 score and updates

Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s LIVE coverage of the France vs Denmark game at the Stadium 974 21:00 – Denmark’s Last 5 Games Drew 0-0 with Tunisia Beat France 2-0 Lost 1-2 to Croatia Beat Austria 2-0 Lost 0-1 to Croatia 20:57 – France hunting down the FIFA winners curse Nos Bleus sont là 😉 🇫🇷🇩🇰 | #FRADAN#FiersdetreBleuspic.twitter.com/6nZx4rorIq — Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) November…

[thommi-tomate]

Holger Badstuber about the DFB team

Hello football fans!

It is a very difficult time for German football. The World Cup in Qatar proved it, and it is still very obvious after the three unsuccessful international friendlies against Ukraine, Poland and Colombia , one year before the European Championships at home. We were and are mediocre in world football. The boos given by the fans at Schalke on Tuesday are understandable.

However, the sooner we realize that in 2024 we are just an outsider, the easier it will be to accept this role. Psychologically, that may not be a bad thing, so there is more to gain. In any case, we must quickly focus on forming a strong unit. On and off the pitch.

About Hansi Flick

The whole construction remains unstable from front to back. There is often talk of a "process" in which the team is still finding itself. But Hansi Flick's behavior alone in television interviews shows that he too is far from satisfied. He seems pissed off. Actually, I expected more enthusiasm, more self-confidence and more conviction from him at this stage. I miss the sovereignty. Nevertheless, we have to trust him and his undisputed experience.

The next opponents are Japan, France and USA in September and October; by then, their framework should be ready. I would like to wait and see before I can really judge the "process".

For me, however, one thing is clear: Ilkay Gündogan performed at the highest level as captain of Manchester City and won titles. He should be positioned in midfield. Joshua Kimmich helps the national team better at right-back. Football is about biting the bullet and not playing in your favorite position. In defense he can give a lot to the team.

A clear identity also requires courageous decisions. That's why I absolutely cannot understand why the DFB is allowing discussions about Thomas Müller and Manuel Neuer to go on forever. They are icons for Germany. Other nations have their deserving veterans who have played for a long time and celebrated success. In Spain it was a Busquets, in Italy a Bonucci: it shouldn't be about their age, but their value to the team. If Müller and Neuer are fit, they have to play for the German national team.

With his experience, Müller can always have a positive influence up front, where we have big problems scoring goals because there are no connections, no automatism due to constant changes.

In the national team we are currently lacking what has been forgotten in the training of young players in recent years: the character and attributes that have distinguished us as a nation in major tournaments such as willingness to sacrifice, fighting spirit, discipline, perseverance, endurance and courage. We have been able to show perseverance, perseverance, endurance and courage. That is why Germany did not deserve a victory recently.

However, I also see developing an awareness of this as a great opportunity for some young players. The players who now get the opportunity to present themselves can score tremendously if they live exactly these qualities 120 percent.

Musiala and Wirtz are glimmers of hope on the horizon. Just as "Poldi" and "Schweini" once enchanted fans and represented a cheeky new generation, they too have potential. If they are used properly, the EURO could be real fun for everyone in Germany.

The national team deserves a different status than it has now, but first it has to perform and deliver - now more than ever!

Source

Honestly, I can agree with a lot of Holger's ideas, except with Ilkay, in selection he never maxes out like he does with C*ty and I really hope that changes because you can't be such an uncommitted captain

[xlntwtch2]

from this AP news article...

Morocco shaken by 6.8-magnitude earthquake; more than 1,000 dead

MOROCCO RECEIVES OFFERS OF HELP FOLLOWING RARE QUAKE

....world leaders expressing sadness at the devastation facing the North African kingdom of Morocco after a powerful earthquake shook Marrakesh and its environs and killed more than 1,000 people.

Biden said Saturday that U.S. officials had been in contact with Morocco to offer help....

....

Turkey, which lost tens of thousands of people in a massive earthquake earlier this year, was among those proposing assistance. France and Germany, with large populations of people with Moroccan origins, also offered to help. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the government has been in touch with Moroccan officials about the possibility of providing help or rescue assistance.

Elsewhere, Qatar offered “provide all necessary assistance to the affected areas to support their recovery from the effects of the earthquake,”

ALGERIA OFFERS TO OPEN ITS AIRSPACE

....

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS OFFERS HELP

....

suggest a look at the article throughout the day for more - the words in bold were highlighted here

[beardedmrbean]

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — On the outskirts of Yogyakarta, an Indonesian city that’s home to many universities, is a small boarding school with a mission that seems out of place in a nation with more Muslim citizens than any other. Its students are transgender women.

It is a rare oasis of LGBTQ acceptance – not only in Indonesia, but across the far-flung Muslim world. Many Muslim nations criminalize gay sex — including World Cup host Qatar. LGBTQ people routinely are rejected by their families, denounced by Islamic authorities, hounded by security forces, and limited to clandestine social lives. Appeals for change from LGBTQ-friendly nations are routinely dismissed as unwarranted outside interference.

Yogyakarta's Al-Fatah Islamic school was founded 14 years ago by Shinta Ratri, a trans woman who struggled with self-doubts in her youth, wondering if her gender transition was sinful.

She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in biology, then devoted herself to enabling other trans women to study Islam. Initially, there were 20 students at the school, and now about 60 – many of them middle-aged.

Among them is Y.S. Al Buchory, 55, who struggled for years to cope with lack of acceptance by people around her, but now feels at home at the school and hopes tolerance spreads through her country.

“Like a rainbow, if there are red, yellow, green colors combined, it becomes more beautiful, rather than only black and white,” she said. “We must be able to respect each other, tolerate, not interfere with each other.”

Compared to many Muslim nations, Indonesia is relatively tolerant. Scores of LGBTQ organizations operate openly, advocating for equal rights, offering counseling, liaising with religious leaders. Only one conservative province, Aceh — which practices Sharia law — explicitly criminalizes same-sex relations.

In Aceh, two men were publicly caned last year – 77 strokes each -- after neighbors reported them to religious police for having sex. Earlier this year, Indonesian Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, in a speech to Muslim teachers, said LGBTQ people were engaged in “deviant behavior” that should be outlawed.

“Parliament must be demanded to make this law," said Ma'ruf Amin, a Muslim cleric. “Ask them to ban LGBT.”

That attitude was reinforced last week, when the United States canceled a trip to Indonesia by a special envoy on LGBTQ rights after the country’s most influential Islamic group objected.

"We cannot accept guests whose purpose of coming here is to damage and mess up the noble values of our nation’s religion and culture,” said Anwar Abbas, vice chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council.

Dédé Oetomo, founder of the LGBTQ-rights organization GAYa NUSANTARA, said acceptance of his community varies from one region of Indonesia to another. He cited a few examples of public support – such as a trans woman chosen as leader of a village council – yet said there is little hope of meaningful government support.

“We still cannot imagine if there would be a law for the protection against discrimination,” Oetomo said.

That’s the norm throughout the Muslim and Arab worlds – either government neglect or outright hostility toward LGBTQ people, said Rasha Younes, a senior researcher with Human Rights Watch who investigates anti-LGBTQ abuses in the Middle East and North Africa.

In a few countries, LGBTQ-friendly cafes have surfaced and activists have been able to organize – offering social services and, if possible, campaigning for reforms, Younes said.

“But the results are as weak as ever,” Younes said, noting that anti-LGBTQ laws remain in place and activists often face crackdowns by security forces.

“There is some solidarity and changing social attitudes,” she said. “But the onus is on the government. LGBTQ people will continue to live on the margins unless the governments repeal these laws.”

In many cases, the religious underpinnings of anti-LGBTQ attitudes are coupled with resentment of outside pressure from nations that have embraced LGBTQ inclusion. More than a dozen Muslim nations recently barred Disney’s latest animated film “Lightyear” from playing at cinemas due to inclusion of a brief kiss between a lesbian couple. In Qatar, authorities have urged visiting World Cup fans to respect the local culture — in which LGBTQ activism is taboo.

In some countries, apparent advances for LGBTQ people have been followed by pushbacks. Lebanon is an example. Over recent years, its LGBTQ community was widely seen as the most vibrant and visible in the Arab world, with advocacy for greater rights by some groups, and gay bars hosting events such as drag shows.

Yet many in the community have been reeling from a wave of hostility this year that included an Interior Ministry ban on events described as aiming to promote “sexual perversion.”

Online, some people have railed against Pride events, at times citing religious beliefs, both Muslim and Christian, to denounce LGBTQ activism. Someone posted an image of a knife slicing through a rainbow flag.

At one point, security force members showed up at the Beirut office of the LGBTQ-rights organization Helem, executive director Tarek Zeidan said.

Some LGBTQ activists called for a protest, distributing an invitation that said, “We will continue to love and to live as we wish.” But the demonstration was postponed, with organizers citing safety concerns.

The crackdown has rattled LGBTQ people already straining due to Lebanon’s economic crises, which activists say have disproportionately fueled unemployment and homelessness in vulnerable groups.

In November, activist groups reported with relief that the Interior Ministry’s ban on LGBTQ events had been suspended.

“We are on the battlefield and part of the conversation,” said Zeidan. “In Lebanon, the conversation is fiercely being debated. In other parts of the region, the conversation has been completely quenched.”

Sahar Mandour‎, Amnesty International’s researcher on Lebanon, elaborated.

“There is a space. We have organizations. Nightlife exists,” Mandour‎ said. “But it’s always under negotiation, where and when. There’s no protection, but there’s existence.”

In Turkey, which is overwhelmingly Muslim, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has shown increasing intolerance toward any expression of LGBTQ rights, banning Pride marches and suppressing the display of rainbow symbols.

It’s a marked change for Erdogan, who, before taking power in 2003, said mistreatment of gay people was inhumane and called for legal protections.

A Pride march in Istanbul, which had been held since 2003 while attracting huge crowds, has been canceled since 2014. In contrast, the government recently allowed a large anti-LGBTQ rally to proceed without police interference.

The ruling party is expected to propose constitutional amendments that would protect family values from what Erdogan describes as “perverted currents.” Activists fear the amendments would curb LGBTQ rights and discourage same-sex relationships.

Among Arab nations, most explicitly outlaw gay sex, including Qatar. It has faced intense international scrutiny and criticism before and during the World Cup over rights issues, including questions on whether LGBTQ visitors would feel safe and welcome.

Other Arab countries, such as Egypt, prosecute LGBTQ people under charges of immorality or debauchery. The situation is similar in Iraq; Human Rights Watch says lack of an explicit ban on gay sex there has not protected LGBTQ people from violence and discrimination, nor from occasional charges of immorality or public indecency.

A transgender Iraqi woman who identifies as Kween B, told The Associated Press her life felt precarious, like standing in the midst of a busy highway.

“You could get smashed any second,” said Kween, who lives in the Kurdish city of Sulaymaniyah.

In her case, that has meant getting bullied as a child and suppressing her feminine identity while in high school and university. Now, at 33, she believes she would be rejected, or even physically harmed, if she came out to her family. But in recent years, she has increasingly pushed the boundaries, donning a rainbow wristband in public or wearing makeup for a party.

Earlier this year, Human Rights Watch alleged that armed groups in Iraq abduct, rape, torture and kill LGBTQ people with impunity and that the police arrest and also carry out violence against them.

Iraqi officials deny any attacks by security forces on gay people; one commander affiliated with an umbrella group of militias rejected the accusation and said violence suffered by gays was likely from their families.

For Kween, her apartment is her safe space. A few years ago, she started hosting gatherings that, at first, included a few close LGBTQ friends but has since grown. At such gatherings, she can fully express herself, donning a wig and a dress.

“We’ve got to be who we are,” she said. “If we don’t do the fight ourselves, nobody is going to do it for us.”

Looking ahead, leading LGBTQ-rights advocates salute the courage of activists trying to operate publicly in countries such as Lebanon and Tunisia. But they are not optimistic about major LGBTQ advances any time soon in most of the Arab and Muslim worlds.

“In many countries, where civil society is not allowed, where there’s complete lack of rights and free association, activism cannot be viewed in the public realm,” Younes said. “People cannot protest or express support online for LGBTQ rights, so there’s total repression of LGBTQ rights.”

Kevin Schumacher, whose current work focuses on advancing women’s rights in Afghanistan, spent seven years as Middle East and North Africa program coordinator for OutRight Action International, a global LGBTQ-rights organization.

He’s skeptical that the LGBTQ cause can rise to the forefront in the region’s numerous authoritarian-ruled countries where women and political dissidents, as well as LGBTQ people, often are repressed. He sees the current widespread anti-government protests in Iran – where homosexual acts can be punished by death – as a possible model for how change could come about.

“You can’t just talk about LGBTQ rights if the straight people are oppressed, if the women have no rights,” he said. “The discourse should be about bodily autonomy — the right over your body and decisions over your sexual rights, not specific to men, women, gay, straight."

[kyousukeyaguchii]

TENNIS MATCH ANALYZATION

Hi I live in Qatar, where sports are big. On February 14, 2023, my family and I went to watch a tennis game held by the QTF (QATAR TENNIS FEDERATION). I'm not a big sports fan, but I'm familiar with a lot of them thanks to anime. I learned their basic rules so that I could understand what I was watching. I'm a Filipino student with no hobbies, and my father is a QTF volunteer. I used to despise going to games and stuff because I was forced to watch FIFA LIVE EVERYDAY WHEN IT WAS HAPPENING, which was a nightmare, but one night while watching I forgot to download my manga and decided to observe the game while writing it down. I enjoyed it and did it whenever I had the chance, though I deleted all of them after FIFA. But because I was forced to attend QTF, I decided to do so in order to relax. Now, I am not a writer or a die-hard sports fan, but I enjoy watching and learning about various sports. This is my first time writing for publication, and I hope you understand my main points. This is just for fun, and all of my observations are my own, so let's get started.

QTF 19:00 

Team 1 (aggressive) (forward but commits many fouls) (40 percent on net) (keen eyes and pinpoint accuracy) (in danger in third round) (I was caught off guard) (75 percent win rate)

Team 2 (defensive) (careful but not forward) (67 PERCENT on net) (tactical and absolute) (becoming aggressive in the seventh round) (65 percent win rate)

FIRST GAME (OVERALL ANALYSIS) (duo)

Prior to attending the event, I had no idea who the players were for. As I previously stated, both teams are equally matched, with strengths and weaknesses. For example, team 1 is aggressive, which could be both an advantage and a disadvantage. They are not afraid to take control of the court, but this leads to them committing fouls, allowing the opposing team to score by default. Team 2 is the tactician, which could be an advantage or a disadvantage. They are cautious and firm, and they use their eyes to spot fouls and score points. If the opposing team wasn't prone to fouling, they'd be in big trouble.

The reaction time is equally match, making them "blunder" for the same mistake after giving the ball back, instead of reacting for a second. In tennis, every second counts, especially in a fast-paced rally. Team 2 likes to spin the ball, which gives them an advantage, but if they use too much force, the ball will jump higher than expected and in the wrong direction. Many people blame the wind for this technique, but I know it takes years to perfect. Team 1 focuses on sharp serves and fast hits to make rallies enjoyable and long.

Now, as I was writing this, my family needed me to do something, so I was interrupted in the middle of my writing and had to stop. So I decided to just finish it at home, but because I didn't know the names of the players, I couldn't find the exact footage. So I'm devastated, but the match was a female duo, and I recall a Chinese player on team 1. I'll do more research and gather more detailed information the next time. I'd like to do my own match analysis, but I'm not sure which specific sports to focus on. I'm interested in boxing. I'm not sure what you think.

UPDATE: as ive heard team one won, and i kinda expected it <3

im new so i really dont know what I'm doing help please

[liamhaydn-blog]

Lionel Messi at the 2022 World Cup

The first ever winter World Cup appeared perfectly timed for Lionel Messi. The previous season, his first in the colours of Paris Saint-Germain, had been the toughest of his career to date. The flawless finishing we had witnessed for well over a dozen years momentarily deserted him and was replaced with efforts suddenly being denied by posts, crossbars and goalkeepers, more often than they were finding the net. For the first time since his teenage years, Messi failed to reach double figures in the league, scoring just six goals in 26 appearances, and 11 in all competitions. Those who saw this and declared Messi’s glory years over would quickly be proven wrong however as just a few months into his second campaign with PSG and his difficulties in the previous season were already nothing but a rapidly fading memory. 

By the time club football took a winter break for the mid-season World Cup, Messi had already outperformed last season’s goal haul, with 7 in the league and 12 in all competitions. On top of this he also added 14 assists in the 19 games he featured. The numbers and performances showed us Messi was coming into the World Cup bang on form, and given his age of 35, playing this tournament mid-season rather than at the end of another long 50+ game season, was likely to be more of a help than a hindrance. 

The Argentina side he would be captaining at the finals were unbeaten since they suffered a loss to Brazil at the 2019 Copa America, their 5th tournament in 6 years where they had been unable to end a trophy drought which stretched back to 1993. Messi may have dragged his nation to three major finals in as many years but falling short in all of them led him to announce a short-lived retirement. He was back playing for the Albiceleste shortly after but the 2018 World Cup in Russia looked like something akin to torture for him. Rarely if ever did he seem to exhibit the same joy and freedom in Argentina’s colours as when playing for Barcelona. 

That was until the 2021 Copa America in Brazil, when at his 10th major tournament, Argentina finally assembled the right supporting cast around Messi, and with it Leo dazzled scoring 4 and assisting 5 as he led Argentina to the final. In the final he wasn’t at his best, a result of an extremely physical semi-final against Colombia, but for this new Argentina they could find a way to win without relying solely on their talismanic captain. Di Maria scored the goal which won them the cup at the Maracanã against hosts Brazil and suddenly Argentina who had been so poor at the 2018 World Cup were now one of the top favourites for the next World Cup which would take place the following year in Qatar. 

Argentina only strengthened their credentials with a run of 36 games unbeaten going into the World Cup. This run took in their Copa America triumph and aswell included a 3-0 win over European Champions Italy and on the very eve of the tournament a 5-0 win over UAE. In that game Messi notched his 18th goal for Argentina in his last 22 appearances, it was with real belief he and his teammates would begin Group C. Assigned to a favourable looking group alongside Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland, it would be the Saudis first up for Argentina.

v.s Saudi Arabia 1:2- Group C

Saudi Arabia are regular World Cup qualifiers, Brazil in 2014 being the only finals they haven’t reached since first qualifying in 1994. They are not however regular World Cup winners, having won just one game since they reached the knockout stages for the one and only time at their first World Cup. They appear to be the perfect opponent for Argentina to lay down a statement of intent with an emphatic victory.

 It takes just 94 seconds for Messi to have his first shot on target, forcing Al Owais into an early save. A few minutes later and holding in the box as Saudi Arabia attempted to defend a corner drew the attention of VAR, who alerted the referee to have a look at a possible penalty. The referee decided it went beyond the acceptable level of grappling and pointed to the spot, giving Messi and Argentina the chance to make the perfect start. The chance was taken as Argentina’s number 10 calmly rolled the ball into the net for 1-0. 

Messi appeared to have his and Argentina’s second in the 22nd minute when a long ball over the top left him baring down on goal and he calmly slotted home. However the linesman’s flag was then immediately raised. Five minutes later there was an even tighter call after Lautaro Martinez had gone clear and lifted the ball over the onrushing Al Owais. This time it was VAR who intervened to rule it out, judging Lautaro’s shoulder to be offside. Remarkably 7 minutes later Argentina had the ball in the net for a fourth time, and for the third time it was disallowed for offside. This was the clearest offside of the lot, though Lautaro’s composed step-over and finish after Messi had put him through displayed Argentina’s supreme confidence and the control in which they exerted over the match. 

Despite Argentina’s dominance in the first half, they had just one goal to show for it. And the frailty of that lead was exposed just three minutes into the second half when Alshehri expertly shot through the legs of a sliding Christian Romero and from a tight angle the ball bobbled into the bottom corner past Emiliano Martinez. The goal had come from a simple ball straight down the middle after Messi had been dispossessed in midfield. Just 5 minutes later, things went from bad to worse for Argentina as Nicolas Otamendi’s failure to get distance on a clearance eventually led to the ball finding Aldawsari who made room for the shot by cutting inside and then let fly from just inside the area. Martinez got a hand to the ball, but the power beat him and suddenly Argentina were behind against Saudi Arabia. 

Argentina almost respond immediately when Messi is found in the box, but just as he is about to shoot a potentially goal-saving tackle flies in on him from Abdulhamid, who celebrates this tackle like a goal, and he isn’t the last Saudi player to do so. The Albiceleste come closer still when Lisandro Martinez’s close-range shot deflects off the knee of Tagliafico from even closer, but Al Owais’ reflexes are up to the task.  

Following these chances, you could see the panic start to set in for Argentina as the reality of what defeat here could mean began to dawn on them. They began to fall back into their old habits of relying on Messi to rescue them. Since the last World Cup, Argentina had ended their long wait for silverware and were on the verge of equalling Italy’s world-record of 37 matches unbeaten. However as the clock ran down on them here, they could have been mistaken for the Argentina of 4 years ago who had toiled against Iceland and Nigeria. 

For a period in the second half Saudi Arabia correctly identified that if they could stop Messi, they could stop Argentina as the nerves and pressure began to get to his teammates. With 10 minutes of normal time left, Messi won a free kick in a promising position for a strike at goal, but his shot sailed harmlessly over the bar. He was closer a few minutes later when he was found in the box by Di Maria, but the floated ball didn’t allow Messi to generate enough power on his header to seriously trouble the keeper. 

As they neared closer to a historic victory, the Saudi’s gave full commitment to every sprint and tackle, it was going to take something special to snatch victory from them. They time-wasted, they took yellow cards and did everything they could to see the game out. Due to the timewasting, there was in the end an extra 13 minutes of additional time played for them to defend for their lives. But it seemed not to matter if the board had showed 30 minutes, Saudi Arabia were not going to be denied 3 points on this day. 

Having turned the game completely on its head in 5 mad minutes, they refused to squander their new-found lead through any fault of their own. There would be no shortage of desire, nor intense concentration in order to maintain their advantage and in the end it was enough to ensure one of the World Cups big upsets. And we were left wondering whether Argentina were just cursed in World Cups, having reached the Semi-Finals just once since 1990. But after this result the immediate worry was now just to ensure they got out of the groups. 

v.s. Mexico 2:0- Group C

In the lead-up to what was now a do-or-die game against Mexico, Messi spoke to the media: “In five minutes of mistakes that we made, we went 2-1 down and then it was really tough, we lost organisation and started punting the ball. It's up to us to fix what we did wrong and get back to the basics of who we are. We're OK, obviously hurt by the result, very bitter. But people must trust that this team will not let them down and we are going to go for it in the next two games.” It was strong words from the skipper and Argentina were also aided by results going their way in the other group games. First Mexico and Poland played out a 0-0 draw with Robert Lewandowski missing a penalty, then Poland beat Saudi Arabia 2-0. These results helped ensure Argentina’s destiny remained in their own hands. 

However as the game began it was clear these results had done little to settle Argentina’s nerves, nor had the 5 changes Lionel Scaloni made to the starting 11, including 3 in the defence. Though you regularly see both Argentina and Mexico in the knockout stages of the World Cup, the first-half here was more befitting of a League 2 match. The match was scrappy and extremely low on quality, littered with fouls which forced the game into a stop, start nature. The first sight of goal for either team didn’t arrive until the 40th minute when Lautaro’s header cleared the crossbar after being found by Angel Di Maria. Mexico’s one moment came in the 45th minute when a Vega free-kick forced Martinez into action. 

The most concerning sight in the first half for Messi and Argentina fans had been where the number 10 constantly received the ball and the movement, rather the lack of it around him. Argentina’s forward movement was very static, the player in possession left short on options so even Messi with having difficulty in progressing his team up the pitch when receiving it around the half-way line, where nearly all of his touches were. The first half had been in many ways, even more troubling than the second half against Saudi.  

At half-time in the ITV studio, Gary Neville said: “Players aren’t fearful of Lionel Messi anymore. They are taking the ball off him easily.” Joe Cole bizarrely put Messi’s struggles in the first-half down to the fact that “It's tough to get out of bed and get your roadwork done at 5am when you're sleeping in silk pyjamas." Neville and fellow pundit Roy Keane then found time to criticise Di Maria, with Neville saying “He’s got no heart.” to which Keane responded: “He’d break your heart, I’m not sure he’s got one.” Based on these words, Argentina may aswell not have bothered coming out for the second half. 

They did, but nothing appeared to have changed from the first. 5 minutes into the half and Messi won a free-kick in a dangerous position. Due to the lack of clear-cut chances this presented as good a chance as any for him to find the target. But his effort never threatened to harm the Mexico goal, flying high over the bar. It just about summed the game up so far for him and Argentina. 

Messi disappeared from the game once more, Argentina now had less than half an hour to find a goal that was looking increasingly unlikely. They were on the verge of having just one point from their opening two games, when Messi picked the ball up in the same kind of unthreatening position he had all game. He played a simple pass forward then continued his move toward the penalty area. Mexico’s midfield all then turned their attention to the ball and ignored Messi’s positioning. Di Maria however noticed exactly where he was and found Messi in a pocket of space. With one touch he set it out his feet and with the second he arrowed the ball into the bottom corner. 

Afrer scoring the vital opener, Messi shouted to the players: "Come on, look at the scoreboard. Now that's in front of you, look at it. 88,000 spectators are looking at you and 45 million Argentines are behind us watching. We won't let them down today, guys. Defend it like savage hyenas. Focus and never miss a ball." De Paul who had been struggling in the game conceding the ball cheaply was told in no uncertain terms by Messi that if he lost another ball, he didn’t want to see his face after the match. The midfielder responded to this by playing a lot better for the remainder. 

Mexico never looked like possessing the quality to equalise but the 3 points weren’t secure until the 87th minute when Enzo Fernandez doubled Argentina’s lead. With a step-over he bought room for the shot, and he didn’t waste it by bending it in past Ochoa. Messi played the pass for the goal to become the first man to register an assist at 5 World Cups. With the full-time whistle Argentina could breathe a huge sigh of relief. They were off the mark at the 2022 World Cup, thanks in large part to their captain whose wonderful goal came at a time when he and Argentina were clinging on to their dreams of glory. 

“Well they haven’t got much, but they have got him!”- Sam Matterface as Lionel Messi opens the scoring against Mexico

“One more Messi moment and Argentina are alive!”- Peter Drury

v.s Poland 2:0- Group C

Going into the final matchday Argentina knew that a win over Poland would near certainly be enough to see them secure top spot in the group. This was due to them having a positive Goal Difference, and Saudi Arabia having a negative one. Poland though would be mathematically certain of topping the group if they beat Argentina. Finishing 1st was vitally important as 2nd place in the group would meet France. Having faced France at the same stage 4 years ago, Argentina would be keen to avoid a repeat, with memories of an 18-year old Kylian Mbappe sprinting through the middle of their defence still raw enough to know if you get the chance to avoid him, you should take it. 

However from the offset Poland had only the draw they needed for qualification in mind. They lacked the belief to try and obtain the win to ensure they topped the group and instead sat back, inviting Argentina (wearing their purple away jersey for the one and only time in the tournament) to dominate possession which they duly did. Unsurprisingly it was Messi who had the best chances of the first half. Running into the box he was faced with a tight angle, but the power generated in the shot forced Szczesny into a smart save down low at his near-post. 

A golden opportunity would arrive in the 36th minute when a cross from Julian Alvarez was missed by the Polish keeper and reached by Messi though his header ended high over the bar. However, Szczesny caught Messi in the face when attempting to reach the ball, and as it was Messi who made contact with the ball, the Polish number 1 was judged to have committed a foul after the referee watched the incident back on VAR. Though Szczesny was to redeem himself with an outstanding penalty save, guessing the right way and getting a strong hand to Messi’s kick. The penalty was struck with power, but Szczesny’s hand remained firm and palmed it to safety. 

It seemed like nothing could go straightforward for Messi and Argentina at the World Cup. Given the chance to turn all their pressure and domination into a goal from the spot, they’d been unable to convert it. Was it going to be another one of those awful days for them? Such fears were quickly dismissed as they broke the deadlock in the very first minute of the second half. Molina’s cross into the box was fired into the feet of Alexis Mac Allister who opted against needing a touch and instead just stroked it into the bottom corner, hitting the inside of the post on the way in. 

Despite now trailing, Poland were unwilling to alter their game plan and it was Argentina doing all the searching for the game’s second goal. Messi took the ball from well inside his own half and dribbled it all the way into the Poland box before scuffing the shot well wide. In the 67th minute the Albiceleste made sure of top spot, after Enzo Fernandez had threaded the ball into Julian Alvarez who took two exquisite touches to make room for a shot that flew into the back of the Polish net.    

With Mexico leading Saudi Arabia 2-0, Poland were currently only progressing through by virtue of having fewer yellow cards than the Mexicans. Rather than pushing for a goal themselves, they seemed to be relying on Argentina not getting another. This plan appeared flawed however, as Messi looked like he was starting to enjoy the World Cup stage, spraying passes with ease and dribbling past bodies at will. The pick of the passes came in the 74th minute when from the half-way line he instantly spotted the run of Alvarez, and weighted it perfectly into his path. Mercifully for Poland, he could only find the side-netting. The match finished as one of the most one-sided of the tournament with Argentina managing 12 shots on target to Poland’s 0. 

It would however, be Poland joining Argentina in the last 16, a 95th minute goal for Saudi Arabia confirming it beyond doubt. After the game Rio Ferdinand said: “he wasn’t even at his best today but the best 3 or 4 dribbles in the game was Messi, the best 3 or 4 passes in the game was Messi and the best player on the pitch was Messi.” Poland were poor opposition and therefore did not provide much of a test, but Argentina were growing in confidence. For the first time in the tournament they started the midfield three of Enzo Fernandez, De Paul and Mac Allister. Julian Alvarez also made his first start after Lautaro had struggled against Mexico, and he had not wasted his chance. This was a significant game for Argentina as from this point on those four players would start every game together.

They had lost the first game but still topped the group just like Spain did before going onto win it in 2010. There was also the curious statistic that Mario Kempes missed a penalty in Argentina’s third World Cup game in 1978 as did Maradona in game three of 1986. On those occasions, Argentina went on to lift the World Cup, with Messi missing on matchday three this time, would history repeat?

v.s Australia 2:1- Round of 16

Australia would be Argentina’s Round of 16 opponents, and also the opposition for Lionel Messi’s 1,000th official senior game. It would also be Messi’s 100th match as captain of Argentina, so the stage was set for something special and expectation was high. Australia like Argentina had lost their opening game and then won their next two. They had recovered impressively from a 4-1 loss to France by notching back-to-back 1-0 wins over Tunisia and Denmark. 

For 34 minutes, not a lot happened. Argentina controlled the ball but they struggled to find space in dangerous areas against a well-drilled Aussie side full of tall, strong players keen to impose their impressive physicality on the contest. It would be who else but the smallest player on the pitch to spring the game into life. Messi whipped in a free-kick from the right-hand side which was headed out by Souttar only as far as Papu Gomez who recycled the ball back to Messi for him to lay into Mac Allister before moving inside, Mac Allister’s pass found Otamendi who played it back to Messi now inside the penalty area. Messi took a touch then stroked it firmly into the net, through the legs of the stretching Australian defenders and past the outstretched glove of Matt Ryan. 1,000 games, 100 as Argentina captain and a very 1st goal in the knockout rounds of a World Cup. 

“He’s only gone and done it again! A Thousand games and still he excels! They’ll never be another like him! Enjoy him while he’s here.”- Peter Drury

Argentina doubled their advantage 12 minutes into the second half as the result of an excellent press from Rodrigo De Paul, who sprinted at the Australian defence forcing them to play it back to keeper Matt Ryan. De Paul didn’t stop there and chased all the way back to the keeper who tried to take the ball past him with his second touch and tempt him into a foul. This proved a costly error as De Paul didn’t take the bait and instead let him past, as Alvarez was also on the hunt for the ball and picked the keepers pocket, before simply rolling it into the empty net.

For the rest of the second half it was absolutely vintage Messi. Receiving the ball inside his own half, he turned away from one Australian midfielder, then dribbled through a gap of another three, leaving them trailing in his wake and looking statuesque, with seemingly none of them willing to be the one to draw the short straw and attempt to tackle him. Before they could make up their mind what to do, the 35-year old had left them in the dust. Advancing onto the defence, the ball ricocheted to Alvarez who played it back to Messi who beat one challenge in the penalty area before finally being stopped by a second defender who gratefully conceded the corner.  

There is a sting in the tail however when an only half-cleared cross lands at the feet of substitute Craig Goodwin, whose powerful but wayward first-time shot changes direction in the air after cannoning off Enzo Fernandez and leaves Emiliano Martinez flat-footed and rooted to the spot as the ball diverts into the back of his net. A few minutes later and Australia almost completed the comeback, their full-back Behich embarked on an incredible driving run which saw him beat 4 Argentine shirts before finally being denied by Lisandro Martinez just as he prepared to take his short, it was a vital intervention. 

Though right back in the game, Australia could do nothing to disrupt Lionel Messi’s rhythm. He wasn’t feeling the pressure, he was playing the match as though a testimonial. He controlled the tempo and pace of Argentina’s play, if he wanted to slow things down the Australians could not find a way to rush him, if he wanted to speed things up he would subtly switch the gears and drive Argentina forward. Which ever one he opted for, the ball was always safe in his possession, and thankfully for Argentina he was seeing plenty of it. There was a chance to make the game completely safe in the 89th minute when a run from Messi enabled him to occupy all 4 Australian defenders and drag them away from Lautaro Martinez who was left in acres of room, at the perfect time Messi rolled it across to him but now lacking confidence he got under the ball and lifted a horrible shot well away from goal. 

Moments later Messi found Martinez for a second time, this time the striker was able to hit the target but Ryan was equal to it. The number 10 is doing everything to put the game to bed, beating another 2 men he finds himself in the box, faced with 3 opposition players he is still able to get a good shot away, he looks for the top corner and the keeper is well beaten, but it’s a fraction too high. As the 7 minutes of injury time run down, it’s Argentina and Messi who are pushing for the game’s 4th goal. He finds Martinez for his third shot on goal, but his deflected shot is saved by Ryan and Messi is not ready when the save rebounds at his feet, dragging his shot wide. 

Then suddenly with 30 seconds left on the clock, Goodwin’s cross finds Kuol who is able to spin his marker, luckily for Argentina Emiliano Martinez was ready and immediately sprinted off his goalline, narrowing the angle and the shot was blocked by his left arm which took the sting from the shot and allowed him to collect the ball and collapse onto it in relief. He was joined on the floor by a couple of his teammates, no doubt thanking him for getting them out of trouble. 

It had been an interesting night for all 3 of Argentina’s Martinez’s, Emiliano and Lisandro had made fantastic blocks to deny equalisers, whereas it had been a bad night for Lautaro, wasting opportunities that would have made the win certain. But overall, the game was the story of Messi. In his 1,000th game, he had produced his greatest World Cup performance to date, a performance described by Rio Ferdinand as “the best individual performance we’ve seen at this World Cup so far, by a mile.”   

v.s Netherlands 2:2 (4-3 on penalties)- Quarter-Finals 

Argentina vs The Netherlands was to be the mouth-watering Quarter-Final clash. To the surprise of everyone, the winner would not go on to face tournament favourites Brazil as earlier that day they had been dumped out on penalties by plucky Croatia. Given the history of this fixture which had been the final of the 1978 edition, the semi-final when Messi reached his first World Cup final in 2014 and produced one of the most memorable Quarter-Finals ever the last time they met at this stage in 1998, it was a game that scarcely needed spicing up. But it seemingly got it anyway, with comments made by Dutch manager Louis Van Gaal that “you would see his plan to stop Lionel Messi on Friday night” taken to be disrespectful and arrogant by the Argentine side. 

Scaloni decided to match up with Netherlands’ 3-5-2 by playing the same formation, dropping a forward out for defender Lisandro Martinez. This decision was made easier by an injury to Angel Di Maria who was only fit enough for the bench.

After a tight opening which was just about shaded by Argentina, Messi was the orchestrator of the game’s first goal in the 35th minute, the exact same minute he’d scored the games opener in the previous match against Australia. This time he was to be the provider however, with a body swerve and a drop of the shoulder Messi found the angle he wanted to thread a through ball between the legs of Nathan Ake and into the path of Molina, the weight of the pass was too perfect for Daley Blind to intercept, he was taken out of the game and Molina was left with just the keeper to beat which he duly did.

With a couple of minutes left in the half we were given a sign of what was to come as Lahoz’s fussy style of refereeing began to lose control of the match. The Spanish ref flashed 4 yellow cards in moments to Argentina coach Walter Sammuel, aswell as Dutch substitute Wout Weghorst who was yet to enter the game. More significant was the yellow card shown to Acuna, which would rule him out of the semi-final. In the second half Messi went close with a free-kick which was just too high and found only the side-netting, before an even better dead-ball opportunity presented itself when Dumfries brought down Acuna in the box giving the referee little alternative but to point to the spot.  

Faced with the 6 foot 6 inch goalkeeper Noppert, Messi stroked the penalty home with Noppert choosing to stay down the middle. With his celebration, Messi paid tribute to Juan Roman Riquelme’s trademark goal celebration, Riquelme whom it was noted famously clashed with Van Gaal when the two were together at Barcelona. Also noted was the fact Messi did the celebration with his eyes firmly set on the Dutch bench. 

The Netherlands had barely threatened all game, so the two-goal cushion was thought to have killed the contest and put Argentina safely through to the final 4. However with time running out and nothing left to lose, Van Gaal decided to throw the kitchen sink at it by taking off his more technical forwards and bringing on less gifted players who would be more of a threat in the air where they could use their height advantage. This strategy quickly paid dividends as the Dutch pulled one back with 7 minutes of normal time remaining, Weghorst directing his header past Martinez.  

With a minute of normal time left, the bad tempered game which had been simmering along finally reached its boiling point when Parades clattered into Nathan Ake and then blasted the ball into the Dutch bench. Luckily it didn’t hit anyone, if it did he may not have escaped with just a yellow card. The melee that followed saw all of the Dutch substitutes storm onto the pitch in fury, though it was Van Dijk who got to Paredes first and bumped him to the ground, for which he avoided punishment. 

The referee had frustrated both teams with his fussiness, which saw him constantly blowing his whistle to signal free-kicks for every minor and sometimes non-existent infringement. This led to 11 minutes of stoppage time being awarded and it was in the final of those added minutes when the Dutch equalised. From a free-kick, Koopmeiners, instead of shooting, worked a routine straight off the training ground by instead passing it past the wall and through to Weghorst who managed to hold off his marker and fire it past Martinez. It was the substitutes second of the game and the assist came from a fellow substitute, it had proved a tactical masterclass from Van Gaal. 

The first half of extra-time passed without notable incident, both teams looking to catch their breath. Netherlands seemed relieved to just still be in the competition, Argentina concentrated on re-composing themselves and looking to regain control of a game that had momentarily got away from them. 

All the big second half chances went Argentina’s way, they continued to probe for a winner, coming closest in added time at the end of extra-time when Fernandez let fly from outside the box and beat the goalkeeper only to be denied by the post. Like their encounter 8 years previously, the two sides would be separated by a penalty shoot-out when the referee finally called time on a game which had included 48 fouls, with 30 from the Netherlands. 

As in their 2014 World Cup shootout, the Dutch were first up. Again it would be a centre-back, then it was Ron Vlaar, now Van Dijk. Different names but the outcome remained the same, the player missed. Although more accurately, Martinez saved by diving correctly to his right and getting both hands to the ball. Next Messi faced Noppert from the spot for a second time, and the result was the same. He waited for the keeper to commit to his dive then just rolled it the other side. 

Berghuis then stepped up for the Netherlands, and he was also denied by Martinez who again guessed right, this time going left and making another outstanding penalty save. Noppert then guessed right for Parades’ kick but still couldn’t get anywhere near it due to perfect placement. Martinez stays in the middle for Netherlands third penalty and Koopmeiners blasts it into the far corner. Next up goes Montiel and he makes it 3 from 3 for Argentina sending the keeper the wrong way. 

Weghorst keeps the Dutch alive in the shootout but if Fernandez scores its all over. As he makes his way towards the spot, Dumfries is booked for gamesmanship as he goes with Fernandez, attempting to break his concentration. It seems to work as the midfielder fired wide, keeping alive slim Dutch hopes. De Jong then levels the shootout but Argentina have one kick remaining. It’s Lautaro Martinez who steps up, who had been enduring a difficult World Cup. Noppert hands him the ball and begins talking to him, begins the mind games. Martinez appears completely unruffled and he demonstrates this by sending the keeper the wrong way and his team through to the semi-finals. 

The drama still wasn’t over as quickly Argentina’s joyful celebrations were replaced with players and coaches from opposing sides coming face-to-face once more in angry confrontations. Messi became embroiled in a heating conversation with both Louis Van Gaal and assistant coach Edgar Davids. Messi’s hand gesture making plain what his issue with them was, the talking the Dutch camp had done in the build-up to the match. 

As Messi then gave a post-match interview to Argentine broadcasters he was distracted by Weghorst who was stood close by looking at him and apparently waiting for him. With the microphone still in front of his face, Messi snapped at Weghorst: “Qué mirás, bobo? Qué mirás, bobo? Andá para allá.” which translates roughly to “What are you looking at you fool? Go away.” When giving an interview to FIFA, Messi again didn’t hold back saying “It’s very frustrating. We were scared before the game because we knew what this was. I think FIFA must think about it, they cannot put a referee like that for these important games, for such a pivotal game — a referee who isn’t up to the task.” The Argentine public loved seeing this side of Messi, usually so shy and reserved. He seemed to be channelling his inner Diego Maradona as he angrily went at the Dutch coaches, Weghorst and the referee. This side of him showed just how much this World Cup meant to him and his desperation to win.

v.s Croatia 3:0- Semi-Finals

4 years prior when Argentina met Croatia in the World Cup group stages, during the national anthem, Messi had anxiously rubbed his forehead, looking like the loneliest man in the world, carrying a load too heavy for his weary shoulders, they went on to lose the game 3-0. Now as he prepared to face Croatia in the World Cup semi-finals, as the national anthem played, he stood with his chest puffed out singing from the top of his lungs. Just as much as the match to follow, this emphasised the transformation that had taken place within Messi and in the national side he represents. 

For the Semi-Final, Scaloni made another tactical adjustment. Seeing how strong Croatia were in possession and how their centre midfielders could dictate a game, Scaloni started four centre-midfielders against the Croatian three of Kovacic, Brozovic and Modric. Particular importance would be put on limiting the latter’s time on the ball, such was his role in the Croatian side. Despite this Croatia were still able to shade the opening half an hour, showcasing their impressive ability to keep the ball. The game changed in the 31st minute when a scooped through ball from Fernandez put Alvarez in on goal, his contact on the ball was not enough to find the net however goalkeeper Livakovic had taken him out and the referee pointed to the spot.  

Croatia had reached the semis by virtue of winning 2 shootouts, Livakovic had thus far faced 8 penalties, and had only been beaten by 3. However he was given no chance by Messi, his emphatic penalty was absolutely unsavable blasted right into the top corner. This goal made Messi Argentina’s all-time top goal scorer at World Cups, his 11th moving him ahead of Gabriel Batistuta. 

Argentina who had struggled to get into the game now had all the confidence and momentum. 5 minutes after Messi had given them the lead they doubled it. Messi was able to launch a counter attack by just about getting his foot to the ball after Argentina had cleared it from their area and this touch allowed them to spring an attack with Julian Alvarez driving forward with the ball at his feet. He met little resistance until reaching the box when the attempt to tackle him only ricocheted back to him, another failed Croatian clearance allowed the ball to set up nicely for him to strike after bouncing off his chest. The Croatian defenders had not covered themselves in glory but Alvarez had brilliantly profited with his perseverance.

Just shy of the hour mark, Messi gave us a little pre-cursor of what was to come when he received the ball around 40 yards from goal and dribbled to the edge of the box, all the while escaping the attentions of Josko Gvrdiol by holding him off and then playing a one-two with Fernandez to get into the box. Once there he made room for the shot but saw it saved by Livakovic from a narrow angle. 

A little over 10 minutes later and Messi was beating Gvrdiol again, only this time in even more astonishing fashion. Leo takes possession after a throw-in is touched into his path off the thigh of Alvarez, Messi is tight to the touchline but with two touches is away from Gvrdiol and driving into open space in the direction of the penalty area. Messi then slows down allowing the defender to catch up, accelerates again before checking back, all the while always keeping his body between Gvrdiol and the ball. He fakes to turn back inside with a body-swerve which sells the defender and Messi then sets off in the opposite direction towards the byline, he gets there and plays a pass into the unmarked Alvarez for a simple tap-in. 

The 20-year old Gvrdiol had been one of the standout performers of the tournament, but the man 15 years his senior had toyed with him. Messi had taken the ball in a harmless position, just inside the Croatian half and next to the touchline and had laid on a certain goal using just 15 touches of the ball. It was a masterclass in making every single touch count and placing the ball exactly where you needed it to set up your next move, no touch was wasted or less than perfect. 

It made certain Argentina’s progression into Sunday’s final and they saw out the remaining 20-plus minutes in comfort. They allowed Croatia plenty of possession but they could not land a meaningful glove on Argentina, whose attack of Messi and Alvarez had delivered a devastating one-two combination to knock them out. In the end it had been as straightforward as you could ever hope a World Cup Semi-Final to be and Messi was going to get one more chance to lift the trophy he had always dreamed about. 

v.s France 3:3 (4:2 on penalties)- Final

The final was almost certainly going to be less straightforward. Argentina would be facing France after they had defeated Africa’s first ever World Cup Semi-Finalists in Morocco. France would be looking to become the first side to retain the World Cup since Brazil exactly 60 years before and just like Argentina were looking to lift the trophy for a third time. Aswell as the World Cup, the smaller matter of the Golden Boot would be decided with Messi and Mbappe currently tied for 1st with 5 each, and their team’s strikers Alvarez and Giroud also tied on 4. Messi and Mbappe had been the two best players of the World Cup and the question was would Messi show the young pretender to his crown that he was not yet ready to exit his throne, or would Mbappe signal the start of a new era, his era.

Scaloni brought Di Maria back into the starting line-up which raised some eyebrows given the winger had not started since the group stages and had only featured in one knockout game. This decision quickly proved to be an inspired one as Di Maria and co started the game very much on the front foot, playing with an intensity and hunger France simply could not match. They constantly hounded France out of possession, swarming them, first to every ball. 

However they could not transmit their superiority onto the scoreboard in the opening 20 minutes, but the chance came in the 21st minute when trickery from Di Maria took him past Dembele and into the box, whilst assessing his options he felt the slightest of touches from behind and hit the floor. There seemed to be relatively little in it, but the referee felt he’d seen enough contact to award the penalty and VAR did not flag it as a clear or obvious error. It was soft and contentious, but the little flick of Dembele’s foot into the back of Di Maria was judged to be enough. Up stepped Lionel Messi for the most important kick of a football in his entire career. He coolly sent Lloris in the wrong direction and gave his nation the start they desperately wanted. 

The goal did little to wake France from there stupor, instead it was Argentina who played all the football, and their finest bit of football came 13 minutes after taking the lead when Mac Allister flicked the ball into Messi’s path. Just inside his own half with two touches he knocked it around the corner into Alvarez who played it first time for Mac Allister who had continued his run forward, the midfielder knew he had Di Maria for company and picked out an inch perfect pass for the winger to strike first time past Lloris. The counter-attack was the best team goal of the whole tournament, and one of the more memorable World Cup final goals with quick, incisive passing and movement that brutally exposed the disorganisation in the French team with defenders way out of position. 

The 2-0 lead was richly deserved and forced Deschamps into making 2 substitutions before half-time had even been reached, sacrificing Giroud and Dembele. The second half continued in the same vein, Argentina making all the chances, simply battering France and comfortably outplaying them. Things began to subtly shift when Di Maria who had been the man of the match up to that point, a constant thorn in the French side was taken off for full-back Acuna. This seemed to signify to Argentina’s players that they should start to be contented with the lead they already had and begin slowing the game down and trying to see it out. Rather than hungrily going for the third as they had in the opening 18 minutes of the half with Di Maria on the pitch, they now looked to just pass the ball around. This subtle change of tact appeared unlikely to be taken advantage of by France, emphasised by Varane who under no pressure passed the ball straight into touch, nowhere near any teammate. It was a pass that just about epitomised the French performance. 

Their way back into the game appeared out of the blue. A heavy touch forward from Mbappe seemed to allow Otamendi time to clear his lines but he paused for too long and substitute Kolo Muani stole in to get goal-side of him. Otamendi panicked and brought him down once the forward had already strode into the box and from nowhere France had been gifted the chance to half their deficit. Kylian Mbappe gratefully took that chance, despite Martinez guessing the right way the power was too much. 

This gave France 10 more minutes of normal time to force an equaliser, in actuality they needed just 1. Messi was caught in possession by substitute Coman who then picked out Rabiot. His flighted ball to Mbappe was headed to Thuram who returned it instantly for the forward to strike on the volley, and strike it he did, hard and low past Martinez. After being outplayed for 79 minutes, in 2 minutes France had wiped away Argentina’s 2-goal cushion and made it all square. 

From that point, it was Argentina hanging in and France the ones searching for the winner, until the 7th added minute of a scheduled 8 when Messi let fly from outside the box with what may have gone down as the most iconic goal in football history, but Lloris was able to palm it up and over the bar. Messi was going to have to go at least another 30 minutes to secure a World Cup title.

The first big chance of extra-time came in the 15th minute and it went Argentina’s way, when Messi found substitute Lautaro Martinez in the box after interchanging with Mac Allister in a brilliant one-two. Martinez wanted time to take a first touch, but he didn’t have it and after taking the touch his shot was charged down. That wasn’t even to be his last chance of the half, Acuna put him through on goal but under the joint pressure of being closed down by Upamecano and Lloris he shot wide of the target. 

3 minutes into the second half of extra-time and a ball from Montiel was controlled into Messi’s path by Lautaro Martinez, the number 10 found Fernandez with one touch who with a single touch of his own gave it back to Lautaro who touched and shot, Lloris got one big, strong hand on it but the ball fell at the feet of Messi mere yards from the goal line, he bundled it over the line and chaos ensued. Argentina’s substitutes swarmed across the pitch to celebrate with Messi and co. right on the other touchline. But with the referee giving the goal, the linesman’s flag shot up for offside seconds after the ball was in. Messi celebrated with jubilant teammates, but concern was still visible on his face, is it definitely a goal? VAR put an end to his uncertainty by confirming Lautaro was onside and the goal stood, and then and only then did Messi fully give way to full delight.

His and Argentina’s joy would still be cut short however when Mbappe’s shot from just outside the box was charged down by the arm of Montiel, very much inside it. The referee pointed to the spot for a third time in the game, and mere minutes away from victory Argentina threatened to be denied again. Mbappe kept his considerable cool and sent Martinez the wrong way, he and France were level once more as the Frenchman became the first man to score a World Cup final hattrick since Geoff Hurst in 1966.

In the 120th minute, a near inch-perfect cross from Mbappe had Kolo Muani straining his neck muscles, given the pace on the ball any contact on it may have been enough to leave Martinez with no chance but he was just short of reaching the ball with his attempted header and Argentina could breathe a big sigh of relief. Not for long. With less than 20 seconds left of the final 3 minutes added on to the end of Extra-Time, a forward ball from Konate was missed by Otamendi as he failed to make any connection with his attempted slide clearance, this miss put Kolo Muani through clear of the defence with just the keeper to beat, the ball set up perfectly to smash on the half-volley and the strike was a good one, but Martinez pulled out perhaps the save of the tournament right when he and his nation needed it most. 

In one of the most exciting minutes in World Cup history, Argentina went right back up the other end and attempted to steal the game for themselves. The head of Lautaro Martinez was picked out from a cross, he had a free header but got it all wrong. Right in front of goal he only needed to hit the target, but he mis-directed his attempt and got it horribly wrong sending it way wide. And that was that, the final chance of an enthralling game. And for just the third time the destination of the World Cup trophy would be decided by a penalty shoot-out. 

France were to go first and Mbappe stepped up for his 3rd penalty in little more than an hour. Remarkably, for a third time he was able to beat Martinez, for the second time Martinez guessed right but the power and placement was too good. After France’s talisman number 10 came Argentina’s to take his second penalty of the night. Messi passed the ball into the net, with the kind of ease that felt out of place in a World Cup final penalty shootout. It shouldn’t be that simple. Coman took France’s second penalty, his kick was missed by the gloves of Martinez, but the ball went between his gloves and firmly into his chest. He had guessed right and kept it out with a tremendous save. Dybala had been brought on for the sole purpose of taking a penalty, and that proved a good decision from Scaloni as his firmly struck penalty went straight down the middle in the space the diving Lloris had vacated. 

Tchouameni took and subsequently missed France’s third penalty, shooting wide of the post. Martinez celebratory shimmy demonstrated the confidence Argentina now felt, they were close. Parades took them yet closer when he made it 3-1. Kolo Muani had to score to keep France in it and he did, blasting it home. This meant the chance fell to Gonzalo Montiel. The substitute could have been the villain of the piece after his handball with minutes of injury time to play saw Argentina lose their lead for a second time. Now he had the chance to be the hero. He sent Lloris the wrong way and Lionel Messi and Argentina were Champions of the World.

Argentina Campeones Del Mundo

Argentina were finally ‘Campeones del Mundo’ for the first time in 36 long years and Messi had equalled the achievements of Mario Kempes and Diego Maradona. Like Kempes he scored two in the final, and like Maradona he had captained his side to glory. Mbappe’s hattrick may have meant that Leo missed out on the Golden Boot, but he did win the Golden Ball for the tournament’s best player, in doing so becoming the first player to win the award twice. 

In 4 glorious weeks Messi had answered any criticisms that could ever be levelled at him. He struggled at World Cup’s under the intense pressure and scrutiny they said, referencing him only having 6 World Cup goals in his first 4 tournaments, and being without a goal in the knockout stage. After this World Cup he had 13, more than the great Pele and the joint 4th most in history. He had become the first player ever to score in all 4 knockout stage rounds at the same World Cup, netting 5 times in 4 games. They said he wasn’t a great leader and captain, now he had led his nation to the greatest prize on earth. Even the claim that he wasn’t a great penalty taker was answered, in 3 matches he scored 5 penalties including the shoot-outs, with the highest pressure and on the grandest stage imaginable, he kept his cool 5 times with unflappable penalty kicks.   

Though this wasn’t just the triumph of one man, this was the triumph of a whole team. Scaloni had been the best manager of the World Cup, his tactical tweaks against Netherlands, Croatia and France had all worked brilliantly. Bringing Di Maria back into the side when he had rather struggled in the group stage and the team had played better in the knockout rounds without him was a big call, but this allowed Argentina to stretch the pitch wide and gave Messi more room to operate in the middle, France couldn’t crowd him as they now had another dribbling creator on the flanks. 

Argentina hadn’t started the World Cup with a team good enough to win it, but Scaloni found it. An injury on the eve of the tournament to the important Lo Celso left him trying to find the best way to plug that gap. 19 different players started for Argentina at the finals, and only three outfield players in Otamendi, De Paul and Messi started every game. The turning point came in game three against Poland when the midfield of Fernandez, Mac Allister and De Paul proved Argentina’s most effective combination to date and they got better and better as the tournament progressed, peaking in the final where all three were absolutely outstanding. Also in that Poland game came the decision to drop the mis-firing Lautaro for the young, hungry Julian Alvarez who performed exemplary adding 4 goals to Argentina’s tally.  

Not to be forgotten for their role in Argentina’s success were the fans who covered each stadium with a sea of blue and white jerseys and were the wonderful soundtrack to Albiceleste glory. Less demand for tickets at this Qatar World Cup saw more tickets than usual land in the hands of regular supporters, the real hardcore and this was one of the best things about a controversial World Cup which came with many downsides. Also not to be forgotten were the heroics of goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, he provided the platform in the shootouts for Argentina to go and get the victories with his psychological warfare against opposition takers forcing 4 misses. Argentina scored 7 of the 8 shootout penalties they took, emphasising how every player including the sparingly used Dybala played their part in achieving the ultimate glory.

Rating the 16 Argentina players who started at least 2 games: 

Emiliano Martinez- 10

Made vital late saves against Australia and France, the latter being maybe the most iconic ever World Cup final save. Was the difference maker in Argentina’s two shoot-outs, dominating them with early saves to give his team the momentum.

Nicolas Molina- 7

Started all but the Mexico game and performed solidly, Argentina were rarely troubled down the flanks. Going forward he took his goal against Netherlands with great composure.  

Christian Romero- 8

Like Molina, Romero started every match bar Mexico and for the majority of the tournament he looked extremely solid. 

Nicolas Otamendi- 6

Performed well at times, and did momentarily silenced his critics and doubters. However, it always felt like he had a mistake in him, and if a costly error was going to come from the Argentina defence, he always seemed most likely to be the culprit. This was proven when he foolishly conceded a penalty in the final which made lifting the trophy much harder work for his team.

Lisandro Martinez- 8

Started against Mexico and was then brought back in for the Quarter-Final against Netherlands. Hardly put a foot wrong and made a crucial intervention off the bench against Australia to keep his side in front. A surprise he wasn’t given more minutes as when he did play he looked more solid than the calamity-prone Otamendi.

Marcos Acuña- 7

Like Molina wasn’t troubled often defensively and got into good attacking positions regularly. His end product could be somewhat disappointing, but he always proved a useful foil. 

Nicolás Tagliafico- 7

Started the opening game and was broke back into the side for the semi-final when filling in for the suspended Acuna, he did a solid job and kept his place for the final. 

Rodrigo De Paul- 9

Struggled against Saudi Arabia and especially in the first half vs Mexico, but Scaloni kept faith in him and De Paul rewarded that faith, he got better and better as the tournament progressed. His tireless running was essential to the success of Argentina’s campaign.

Enzo Fernandez- 9

Wasn’t chosen to start until the final group game. However once in the team, Enzo made the position his. He was involved in most things good in Argentina’s play, always neat and tidy but never overly cautious in possession. Deserved winner of the tournament’s best young player award. 

Alexis Mac Allister- 9

Going into the tournament we knew the Brighton midfielder was good, I’m not sure we knew he was this good. Scored the vital goal against Poland to break the deadlock, but his finest moment came in the final where he was one of the best players on the pitch, France just could not get to grips with him.

Leandro Paredes- 7

He started the opening defeat to Saudi Arabia and didn’t start again until the semi-finals against Croatia, where he came in and did a solid job. Converted both his shoot-out penalties including one in the final shootout to give Argentina a commanding 3-1 lead.

Angel Di Maria- 8

Wasn’t at his best in the group stages, however he more than made up for it with his final performance. He deserved his goal which gave Argentina a 2-0 lead, he terrorised Kounde and had the beating of him time and time again.

Papu Gomez- 5

Started the opener against Saudi Arabia and was brought back in for the round of 16 game against Australia. However he was largely anonymous in both games. 

Lionel Messi- 10

Scored one of the best and most important goals when his country needed him most as they toiled vs Mexico. He and his teammates never looked back from there. He was sensational against Australia and inspirational in the final against France. Between that he produced the two best assists of the tournament against Netherlands and Croatia. 7 goals, 3 assists, 5 converted penalties in a row, the 35-year old really could not have done much more.

Julian Alvarez- 9

Got his chance to start against Poland and was never in danger of losing his starting place. His energy, intelligence and lethal finishing were key components in the success of his nation. He led Argentina’s attack at the World Cup in ways much more experienced forwards such as Higuain, Aguero and Lautaro Martinez had been unable to do.

Lautaro Martinez- 5

His bad luck began when he had two goals ruled out for offside in the opener with Saudi Arabia. How different his tournament may have gone if one of them had counted as he finished both brilliantly. After that though, he couldn’t get into the game vs Mexico and lost his place to Alvarez. His one great moment came when he converted the winning penalty in the shoot-out v Netherlands. However he was very wasteful against Australia and again in the final, missing 3 good chances which could have proven costly. 

The Greatest of All Time

With 7 goals and 3 assists, Messi had matched the exact number of goal contributions Pele and Maradona had when they were victorious in 1970 and 1986 respectively. This brought Messi’s total to 21 goal contributions at the World Cup, which is the most of any player since the record books began counting assists in 1966. It took Messi’s goal tally in major international tournaments to 26, which is more than any other player in South American football history, and his 7 here helped win him his second major trophy with Argentina after the Copa America the previous year. 

Messi had long since surpassed Pele and Maradona at club level with an unquestionable collection of goals and honours, both team and individual. His lack of international success was always levelled at him when debating his position among the all-time greats, but now having peaked at international level in his mid-30′s, scoring more in tournaments than he ever has before, Messi has put that argument to bed. Never before had so many people around the world wanted one man to lift one trophy, Messi’s immense contribution to football had many feeling he deserved to win its showpiece event after a magnificent career spanning 17 years. People got their wish and at the 5th time of asking, Lionel Messi achieved a life-long dream formed in boyhood, he had lifted the World Cup for his beloved Argentina.

“Unparalleled. There will of course always be those who argue, always be those who debate. And the debate can rage on, if you like. But as he falls in love with the object in the world that his heart most desired, it is hard to escape the supposition that he has rendered himself today, The Greatest of All Time.”- Peter Drury