Messi helps Argentina past Australia into World Cup quarter-finals
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 04, 2022
Reuters
Lionel Messi scored on his 1,000th career appearance in Argentina’s 2-1 win over Australia at the World Cup on Saturday (December 3) to surpass his great predecessor Diego Maradona’s tournament total and set up a quarter-final clash with the Netherlands.
Seeking a first World Cup at his fifth attempt, the mesmerizing Messi curled the ball low past goalkeeper Mat Ryan from inside the area in the 35th minute to send the legions of Argentine fans into delirium at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.
Julian Alvarez bagged Argentina’s second from close range in the 57th minute after fatal hesitation from Ryan with the ball at his feet following a backpass.
Australia, who did superbly to reach the last 16 and are ranked 35 places below the double World Cup winners, defended valiantly with the towering Harry Souttar prominent. They set up a nervy end after Craig Goodwin’s shot was deflected into the net off Enzo Fernandez for an own goal in the 77th minute.
The 35-year-old Messi’s goal was his third in the Qatar tournament and his ninth at World Cups, one more than Maradona.
Depay on target as Netherlands beat U.S. 3-1 to reach quarter-finals
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 04, 2022
Reuters
The Netherlands became the first country into the World Cup quarter-finals as they beat the United States 3-1 at the Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday (December 3).
A 10th-minute effort by Memphis Depay and another from Daley Blind with the last kick of the first half paved the way for the Dutch to set up a last eight clash with either Argentina or Australia, who were playing later.
Substitute Haji Wright scrambled in a reply for the United States in the 76th minute to give the Americans hope but Denzel Dumfries’s volley sealed a seventh quarter-final appearance for the Dutch.
Louis van Gaal’s Dutch side grabbed the lead with their first attack when a slick move ended with Dumfries cutting a perfect pass back for Barcelona forward Depay to stroke home.
Dumfries then played a carbon copy ball for Blind to make it 2-0 and put his side in cruise control.
Wright bundled home from a Christian Pulisic cross but Dumfries crowned a great display to finish off the Americans.
Portugal begin preparations for Switzerland World Cup last-16
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 03, 2022
Reuters
Portugal began their preparations for their World Cup last-16 meeting with Switzerland at their training session on Saturday (December 3).
Portugal finished Group H with a 2-1 defeat by South Korea but held on to their top spot to face the Swiss on Tuesday.
Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo in the twilight of his brilliant career, topped the group with six points, two points ahead of South Korea.
The 37-year-old is seeking to equal the Portuguese record of most World Cup goals held by Eusebio, who racked up nine in 1966 in England, the only World Cup tournament he played in, he also last week became the first ever player to score in five World Cups.
Coach Fernando Santos made six changes to the side that beat Uruguay on Monday, mindful of the risk of yellow-card suspensions in the next round for which Portugal had already qualified before kick-off against South Korea. Portugal
Four things to look out for on Sunday in World Cup
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 03, 2022
THE NATION
France and England will be looking for victory on Day 15 of the FIFA World Cup when they entertain Poland and Senegal respectively in the round of 16.
The second day of matches in the last 16 sees England play Senegal while France play Poland. Here are some things to look out for on Sunday in Qatar.
1. France back and firing on all cylinders
France rested almost their entire first-choice side for their last group match after having already secured their place in the knockout stage, with big players such as Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann only coming on in the closing minutes as they chased the game against Tunisia.
Coach Didier Deschamps will have his strongest line-up out against Poland on Sunday, with Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Olivier Giroud in attack, Griezmann in the hole behind them and Adrien Rabiot in the middle. They should be fresh and should have few problems in reaching the quarterfinals.
2. Poland need a change of attitude
It’s not usual to see a side celebrate a defeat, but that is what Poland did in the wake of their 2-0 loss to Argentina on Wednesday night that saw them into the last 16.
Poland coach Czeslaw Michniewicz showed an incredible lack of ambition against Argentina, even instructing his players not to commit fouls in the closing stages of the game, to avoid yellow cards when it looked as if qualification could go down to fair play between them and Mexico.
Yellow cards won’t be a factor against France, but if Poland set out to defend, leaving Robert Lewandowski isolated in attack, there is only one way this tie is going to end.
3. Which England will we see against Senegal?
We have seen two England teams in this World Cup: one which tore holes in the Iranian defense to win 6-2 and produced a destructive 45 minutes to score three times against Wales, and another that struggled to break down an energetic and organized USA and failed to score in the first half against Wales.
England coach Gareth Southgate has to decide whether he keeps Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford in his side against Senegal, who are likely to present a physical challenge.
If England can find spaces and move the ball quickly between the lines, they are likely to win, but if not, this game could be decided by set-pieces or even penalties.
4. Multiple goalscorers offer Senegal hope
Although they were rocked by the loss of Sadio Mane before the World Cup, Senegal have adapted well to reach the last 16, with five different players hitting the target so far in Qatar.
Ismaila Sarr has been arguably their most effective player, with more touches in rival penalty areas and in the final third of the pitch than any of his teammates. Sarr plays in England’s second tier with Watford, and a good performance against England could earn him a move back to the Premier League before long.
France expect much more from Poland than Lewandowski’s attacking power, Deschamps says
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 03, 2022
Reuters
Most of France’s talk ahead of their last-16 clash with Poland has been about how Les Bleus will handle Robert Lewandowski, but the defending champions are well aware there is much more to the Poles than their big-name striker.
“They’ve had to defend a lot in the group stage and they defended very well. Actually they love it, but they’re not just a defensive team – just look at who they have up front,” coach Didier Deschamps told a news conference on Saturday (December 3).
Lewandowski is indeed a deadly weapon up front, but Poland are a very compact side with another major asset at the other end of the pitch in keeper Wojciech Szczesny, who has already stopped two penalties.
“They have a backbone of players with great international experience (…) they deserve to be here,” he added.
Across his career, Szczesny has saved 26 of 87 penalties and it is safe to say that France will be desperate to avoid a shootout at the Al Thumama stadium on Sunday (December 4).
Poland have only had five shots on target in three games, but three of them came from Lewandowski, who only needs half a chance to find the back of the net.
France’s ideal scenario will be to contain the Barcelona forward and avoid ending the game on penalties, which are certainly not keeper Hugo Lloris’s cup of tea.
Lloris, who will equal Lilian Thuram’s France record of 142 caps on Sunday, has only stopped 16 of the 108 spot kicks he has faced in his career, a shortcoming that cost France dearly at the European championship last year when they were bundled out in the last 16 by Switzerland on penalties.
Lloris said that France had what it takes to down Poland in regulation time if they stay focused throughout.
“No matter what happens we have to play a complete match and when we can, be killers, and hurt our opponent,” he said.
Jetts Fitness brings a Zumba class to the aquarium
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 03, 2022
THE NATION
The “Zumba in Aquarium” was held on Tuesday at Central Phuket Floresta, Aquaria Phuket, Thailand’s largest aquarium located in the heart of Phuket City, and other partners of Jetts Fitness.
It was a unique off-site activity as Jetts was the first to bring the Zumba class into the aquarium.
“Zumba” is one of the most popular exercise methods around the world. It has a rousing rhythm and choreography that is not too difficult.
Exercisers could burn calories very well in just 30 minutes, which makes them more enjoyable than regular exercise. Everyone can enjoy this class because no skill or background in dancing is required.
Dane Cantwell, Country Manager at Jetts 24 Hour Fitness (Thailand), said, “As we all know, exercise is no longer just a trend but a discipline that everyone considers their daily activity. Everyone who works out at Jetts gets more than just a workout.
“In addition, we have conducted surveys and research and found that providing events both in the gym and off-site, as we have done on a regular basis, has made the workouts of participating members even more effective.” Cantwell stated.
Cantwell concluded, “Jetts Fitness plans to expand its branches to new locations in Bangkok and other provinces, focusing on popular tourist destinations. We want to make sure our clubs meet the needs of all members.
“With the concept of creating Jetts Fitness as a community of health lovers, we are determined that our 39 Jetts branches and upcoming branches will definitely and continuously contain a lot of fun activities for new and old members of all branches.”
Korean striker hit by wave of love letters, marriage proposals at World Cup
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 03, 2022
South Korean striker Cho Gue-sung turned his phone off after he went viral following his team’s second match at the 2022 World Cup last Monday as new fans from around the globe started following him on Instagram.
His Instagram followers had surged almost 10 fold to about 2 million by 2pm Bangkok time on Saturday.
The striker for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors had just 20,000 followers before South Korea’s opener against Uruguay on November 24.
Cho did not start in that match, which ended in a 0-0 draw. However, in the next match against Ghana on November 28 he scored twice, setting social media aflame around the globe. Cho received countless love letters and marriage proposals for his movie-star looks and prowess on the pitch.
One viral video compares Cho to superstar Park Seo-joon. It has been viewed over 7.7 million times on Twitter.
Korean reporter Seo Jung-hwan said that all the attention was too much for Cho.
Speaking about Cho, Seo told The Athletic: “He had to get some rest. His phone was going all night. It was keeping him awake. He was trying to concentrate on football and, all the time, the messages were coming.”
Cho said after the match against Ghana: “I don’t really want to be famous. I’m only human and don’t feel anything special.”
He has scored six goals in 19 matches for South Korea, with two made in the second match of the World Cup. This puts him in the same league as superstars Lionel Messi, Bruno Fernandes, and Richarlison.
Several European football clubs have reportedly expressed interest in him. South Korea Football Association vice-president Lee Young-pyo said that a sporting director from a “very good club” in Europe asked about Cho.
Despite all the attention, Cho told reporters before the match against Portugal on Friday. “It’s not over yet. We still have hope, we still have one more game. We’ll prepare for that.”
The Korean team won the match (2-1) and will advance to the next round. Cho did not score in the match, but that did not stop the number of his Instagram followers from going through the roof.
No World Cup matches for Thai C-band satellite receivers
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 03, 2022
People using large satellite dishes to watch TV will not be able to watch the Netherlands-US or Argentina-Australia matches this evening because all signals have been blocked as of Friday.
The commission made the announcement after SAT blocked broadcasts via C-band satellite TV networks in response to warnings from FIFA. The world football governing body had insisted that all broadcast signals be encrypted as they were being stolen by neighbouring countries.
Trairat Viriyasirikul, NBTC’s acting secretary-general, said on Friday that providers of satellite TV receivers (set-top boxes), digital television multiplexes (DTT MUX) service providers and TV channels have been issued a guideline for encrypting the signal to prevent it from being stolen.
According to the guidelines, set-top boxes will be encrypted with “conditional access”, while KU-band satellite television networks will be locked with an “alternated key encryption”.
DTT MUX service providers are also required to put the signal under conditional access.
However, people using big C-Band satellite dishes will not be able to watch any games as the receiver cannot encrypt the signal.
The NBTC has told all operators to put all controls in place until the end of the competition to tackle the piracy problem.
It has also advised those with C-band satellite receivers to use an antenna or encrypted receivers to watch the matches.
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