FIFA
WORLD CUP
GROUP H
RUSSIA
Match Day 2
Japan VS Senegal
This match was a bit interesting.
It left a good affect on Day 2.
And even on the crowd.
Well the first half started and bot teams were in good form.
In the first half two goals were scored from both teams.
The first goal was scored in the first 11'.
It was scored by Sadio Mané.
A beautiful goal by him made the score board 0-1.
After some time in the 34' Japan scored a goal which was an equalizer.
It was scored by Takashi Inui.
This goal made the score board 1-1.
Then the first half started and second half started.
In this half again two goals were scored by both teams.
The first was scored by Moussa Wagué in the 71'.The score board was now 1-2.
Then just after 7' Japan made an equalizer.
Keisuke Honda scored a goal in 78'.
The score board was now 2-2.
And hence the second half ended making the match a draw.
Highlights:
Poland VS Colombia
An amazing match in the end of the Day 2.
Poland VS Colombia.
Poland had to face a very bad defeat.
The first half started and both teams were ready to score some goals in the match.
They struggled and struggled and in just 5' before the end of first half a goal was scored by Colombia.
It was scored by Yerry Mina in 40'.
The score board was 0-1.
Ten the first half ended.
hen the second half started and the game got more interesting and interesting.
It all started in the 70' when Radamel Falcao scored an incredibly amazing goal.
The score board was now 0-2.
Then another goal from Colombia which was by Juan Cuadrado in just after 5' of the last goal in 75'.
No luck was their for Poland in the field that day.
Hence they had to face a defeat.
Highlights:
FIFA
World Cup
2018
Russia
Match Day 2
Group A
Egypt VS Russia
Who knew that Russia would beat a well known team Egypt that badly.
The match was beautiful.
It was full of suspense and magical moments.
The time the match started it looked like Egypt was going to score in the first half.
But after some time the whole situation was upside down.
It seemed like Russia was in control of the game now and Egypt was dancing on their steps.
The first half ended and it was fun.
The second half started and in the first 2' of the second half Russia was in lead.
An Egyptian player Ahmed Fathy scored in the 47' an own goal.
The Egypt players and supporters were sad of what just happened to them.
Thanks to Ahmed Fathy Russia was ahead of them with a score of 0-1.
Then in the Denis Cheryshev in the 59' scored a beautiful goal.
The score was now 0-2.
It looked like Egypt was still in shock of what happened to them earlier.
Then in the 62' another goal from Russia was seen.
This was scored by Artem Dzyuba.
It lead the score board rise to 0-3.
Then a goal from Egypt was seen which was scored by The Liverpool King M.SALAH via a penalty in 73'.
The score board was now 1-3.
But till the last minute whistle they couldn't reach the score of Russia.
Highlight:
Group B
Portugal VS Morocco
Another exciting match in the second round.
Portugal vs. Morocco.
The match started and in the first four minutes a Deja vu of the previous match of Portugal with Spain.
In the first four minutes Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a goal for Portugal.
He made the score board rise to 1-0.
And then until the final whistle no goals from both teams.
After all that struggle from each player of both teams only one goal of Portugal and nil for Morocco.
Highlights:
Group A
Uruguay VS Saudi Arabia
Argentina was in a good form that day and played very well as far as their first match.
Saudi Arabia also played very well.
Their defense and their attack was better than their first game.
They were facing Uruguay a team which has an Barcelona player Luis Suarez.
A man with great agility and knows when and how to score for its team.
And hence in the 23' He scored a goal for Uruguay very beautifully.
And then till the final whistle the struggle of Saudi Arabia Went on but no luck for them.
So hence they had to say good bye to FIFA World Cup.
Highlights:
Group B
Iran VS Spain
The match was also full of suspense but the face off was tough.
On one hand a classical team Spain and on the other hand a team who lost its first match.
Spain was playing its usual.
While Iran was struggling a bit to score a goal and make their place in the next stage.
No doubt that Iran gave a tough time to Spain in the first half.
But in the second half they were stunned as Diego Costa scored a goal in the fourteenth minute of the second half.
He scored a goal in he 56' and raised the score board of Spain.
Spain was leading with a score of 0-1.
And then the pressure on Iran started.
They made tries to score but unfortunately couldn't.
And hence the final whistle blew and it was a good bye for Saudi Arabia too.
Highlight:
Group C
Denmark VS Australia
Not much to say about this match.
See the highlights.
Highlights:
FIFA
World Cup
Russia
2018
Match Day 1
Group E
Costa Rica VS Serbia
The match was exciting but a bit boring as two not so up to the mark teams were facing each other.
The first half was a bit hard for each team.
They struggled and struggled but had no chance to score.
Both teams made many tries but still couldn't connect and score.
Each time a player went to the goal either he was offside or it was saved by the goal keeper.
The first half ended in tries.
But the second half was not like that.
As this time Serbian player Aleksandar Kolarov score a goal.
The goal was scored in the 56' which was an advantage for them but on the other hand there were chances for Costa Rica as there was plenty of time left yet.
But it was not Costa Rica's day as they couldn't score any goal until the 90 minute but yes they were encouraged a lot for their performance in their first game.
Highlights:
Group E
Brazil VS Switzerland
The match was exciting but more was expected from Brazil.
As Switzerland is not that much of a good team still the match was a draw.
The Brazilians made the first half exciting as they played a little bit defensibly and a more of attacking.
And this made them score in the first half.
In the 20' Philippe Coutinho scored a goal for Brazil.
He made the score board rise and even the supporters.
The score was 1-0.
Then to cover Switzerland made struggle but there was no luck.
Brazil also had chances but couldn't score anymore than 1 in the first half.
The first half ended.
Then second half started and within 5' of the second half Switzerland score making it leveled.
The goal was scored by Steven Zuber in the 50'.
Then as usual the struggle went on to higher score but no luck for the both teams and the game had to end with a score of 1-1.
Highlights:
Group F
Germany VS Mexico
A bitter defeat for Germany as they lost from a lower grade team Mexico.
No one believed if that could have happened.
Germany the champions of last year world cup faced a defeat.
Well they played well but it wasn't their day.
They attacked well but the game isn't won by attacking only you have to defend yourself.
Due to this Mexico scored in the first half which was not a big deal.
The goal was scored by Hirving Lozano in the first 35'.
Germany had in mind that they will recover soon but no chance was given by Mexico.
As they played very well in their first game against the last years legends.
The first half ended without any sruggle from Germany.
In the second half They had many chances but those couldn't be availed.
Even a German player missed the penalty which could have saved them from disappointment.
From that moment till the end they struggled and struggled but couldn't score any goal and eventually the final whistle blew making Mexico achieve their biggest achievement.
Highlight:
Group F
Sweden VS South Korea
No one had been expecting a brilliant performance from South Korea:
They played beautifully.
Not that Sweden had played bad even they played beautifully.
Both teams did their best out in the field.
They prepared themselves either to score goal or score enough That they don't have to face humiliation.
They continually struggled in the first half but couldn't score any goal.
Then in the second half in just 20' South Korea showed their colors.
Andreas Granqvist made the first goal for South Korea in 65'.
After that goal the game went more interesting as they urged to score more goal and vice versa.
But no chance for Sweden that they could level or beat South Korea.
Hence the final whistle blew and South Korea won with 1-0 score.
Highlights:
FIFA
WORLD CUP
RUSSIA
2018
MATCH DAY 2
Morocco VS Iran
The match was exciting at every stage.
Both the teams made their effort to score a goal.
In the 4' Morocco got a chance but they couldn't connect.
Then in the 19' they had another chance but the defense of Iran was awesome and they didn't let them make a goal.
After that in 32' Iran got a chance to sore a goal.
It was a pass and a beautiful run but couldn't connect to the goal properly due to which it was saved.
Then Morocco in the mean time got a chance to score but as the last attempts they missed.
Then in the 90'+ Morocco accidently made and own goal making the Iranians the winner of the match.
Morocco had to face defeat in that match.
The score board was 1-0.
Squad:
Morocco:
MohamediN Amrabat BenatiaSaïssHakimiEl Ahmadi
BoussoufaZiyechBelhandaHarit
El Kaabi
Iran:
BeiranvandRaeianPouraliganjiCheshmiHaji SafiEbrahimiJahanbakhshShojaeiAmiriAnsarifard
Azmoun
Highlight:
FIFA
2K18
Soccer Balls
History
Now moving towards the ninth soccer ball sponsored by Adidas.
It was used in the 1970 world cup.
Its name was Adidas Telstar.
Telstar 1970
Adidas put their first stamp on the official World Cup ball at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.
The German-based company designed high quality and well-liked balls for the 1968 European Cup and 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City and with the Mexican Football Federation advocating for them, FIFA decided to have adidas produce the ball.
The final product was the iconic adidas Telstar.
The black and white ball was constructed of 32-panels (12 black pentagons and 20 white hexagons).
The design was adopted to be easier to see on black and white televisions as the 1970 World Cup was the first with a global TV audience.
The name for the ball came from the Telstar communications satellite which has a similar appearance.
And the official World Cup logo emulated the design of the new ball.
20 Telstars were provided for the tournament matches while over 600,000 replica balls were sold.
The impact of the adidas Telstar changed the way fans embraced the official match ball while watching matches as well as playing on local soccer fields around the globe.
The tenth ball was supplied by Adidas in 1974.
Its name was Adidas Telstar Durlast.
Adidas Telstar Durlast
Adidas sealed a deal as an Official Partner of the World Cup by the 1974 World Cup.
The deal made them the official ball provider for the tournament and allowed them to keep their name front and center on the ball.
After the success of the Telstar 4-years earlier only minor tweaks were required for the ball to get back out on the field.
A thicker coat of ‘durlast’ was applied to the new ball.
This helped it hold up better in wet weather as well as provided the shiny coat.
The Eleventh ball sponsored by adidas was in 1978.
Its name was Adidas Telstar Tango.
Adidas Telstar Tango
Adidas began the tradition of giving the World Cup ball a unique identity in 1978 when they developed a ball to celebrate the culture of the host nation.
The 1978 Word Cup ball was named after Argentina’s famous dance, the Tango.
The Tango featured the same number of panels as the Telstar but scrapped the black panels.
Instead, the ball had an all white base with black triads forming a circular pattern.
As the ball rolled, the effect of the pattern made it seem like the ball was performing a dance, making its name quite befitting.
While the Tango Ball became one of the most popular of all-time, the top brass back in Germany was not so confident heading into the World Cup.
They made sure to have some Telstar 1978 balls on hand in Argentina if the new ball was not well received.
They sponsored the Twelfth ball in 1982.
Its name was Adidas Espana.
Adidas Tango Espana
After a creating such a successful ball for ’78, adidas did not change much for the ’82 World Cup ball.
The Tango España was the first ball to be made out of leather and synthetic material.
A new polyurethane layer replaced the Duralast coating and the panel seems were welded then sewn together.
This ball was the final nail in the coffin of the leather ball and all the uncertainties it had provided over the first 52 years of the tournament.
The Tango España was the first ball to include the adidas Trefoil logo.
After a successful twelfth ball they sponsored their thirteenth ball.
Its name was Adidas Azteca in 1986.
Adidas Azteca
The Azteca was the first synthetic ball to be used at a World Cup.
The ball provided a truer spherical shape throughout matches, tested better for performance, and were water resistant.
Adidas took the triad pattern to the next level with the Azteca turning to Aztec architecture and mural designs for inspiration for the pattern.
This design element was continued for the next 3 World Cups.
The fourteenth ball was sponsored in 1990.
Its name was Adidas Etrusco Unico.
Adidas Etrusco Unico
The Etrusco Unico was the ball for the 1990 World Cup and celebrated the civilization and art of the Etruscans who thrived on the Italian peninsula between 768 BC and 264 BC. Each triad featured an Etruscan lion as well as stylized Etruscan border.
Very classical in its approach.
It was the first ball to have an internal layer of polyurethane foam.
The fifth teen ball was sponsored in 1994.
Its name was Adidas Questra.
Adidas Questra
The theme for the 1994 was space travel and the U.S.’ ‘quest for the stars,’ thus the Questra was born. The black and white ball featured a galactic scene on the triads.
The overall space theme was a tribute to the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon.
The Questra was a popular edition of the ball with color versions used at the UEFA Euro 1996 ‘Questra Europa,’ and the 1996 Olympics, ‘Questra Olympia.’
It closed out its service with the ‘Questra Apollo’ ball being used in La Liga and for the Spanish national team in 1996/97.
The ball was lighter and more responsive than earlier versions of the ball and well liked by the players.
The hope was that a more lively ball would increase scoring, which fell to a record low 4-years earlier in Italy.
It succeeded in being the highest scoring tournament seince 1982 but ironically 1 of the 3 games that ended 0-0 was in the final.
Adidas sponsored its sixteenth ball in 1998.
Its name was Adidas Tricolore.
Adidas Tricolore
The adidas Tricolore was a fitting closing for the Tango era.
The Tango’s triangle patter was shown in the colors of the French flag, red, blue, and white.
It was the first multi-color ball used at the World Cup finals.
In addition to the color of the ball, It had a circle pattern on the ball that gave it a more modern look than previous Tango editions.
The new colors was only the tip of the iceberg for new looks to come from adidas.
The seventeenth ball was sponsored in 2002.
Its name was Adidas Fevernova.
Adidas Fevernova
The Fevernova 2002 World Cup match ball was the start of a new era for World Cup match balls and with that came high expectations.
The Fevernova marked the end of the Tango era that started 24 years earlier at the 1978 World Cup.
The most notable feature of the ball was the foam synthetic layer under the outer coating.
The material gave the ball a spongy feel which immediately made players wary despite adidas assurances that it helped improve the durability and true response from being kicked.
The gold (champagne) ball featured a shuriken, ninja throwing star, design with red flames representing the achievements of the first Asian hosts of the World Cup.
The eighteenth ball was sponsored in 2006.
Its name was Adidas +Teamgeist
Adidas +Teamgeist
The Germans pride themselves in working as a unit rather than relying on individual performances. The name +Teamgeist, team spirit, is a clear reference to that tradition.
The out-of-place ‘+’ at the start of the ball name was added for trademark reasons but gave a distinctive if not unusual stamp on the ball.
The 14-panel ball was the first to be held together with thermal bonding rather than being stitched.
The ball had other first including being the first to be available with the competing teams, venue, and date stamped on the ball. It also featured a special colorway for the World Cup final, the +Teamgeist Berlin.
The nineteenth ball was sponsored in 2010.
Its name was Adidas Jabulani.
Adidas Jabulani
The Jabulani is arguably the most hated World Cup soccer ball in the history of the tournament. Especially if you asked a goalkeeper.
Spain’s goalkeeper at the time summed it up best saying, ‘(It is) like a beach ball.’
He was not alone, France’s Hugo Loris, Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon, and David James of England all used 1 word to tell the story, ‘Disaster,’ ‘Shameful,’ and ‘Dreadful,’ respectively.
Field players were not completely sold on the ball either.
They loved the knuckling factor when it helped them score past a bewildered often flat-footed goalkeeper but Clint Dempsey spoke about the downside, ‘If you (pass/strike) it just a little bit wrong, you end up looking pretty silly.”
The 8-panel ball was adidas attempt at ball that was a perfect sphere with the latest technological advances to improve the flight of the ball with fewer seams.
The reality was a ball that was lightweight and prone to knuckle unexpectedly.
A far cry from adidas hope to ‘celebrate,’ the meaning of Jabulani in Zulu.
It had a good look, however, with 11 colors on the ball representing the 11 players on each team on the field, the diversity of the 11 official languages spoken in South Africa, and it being the 11th official World Cup ball provided by adidas.
The twentieth ball was sponsored in 2014.
This ball was vey widely used all over the world.
Its name was Adidas Brazuca.
Adidas Brazuca
The 2014 World Cup ball, the Brazuca, was the first match ball to create a buzz before it even made it to the field with its own social media following and storytelling voice.
The Brazuca was 100% Brazilian which makes sense as Brazuca is a slang term for Brazilian.
The 6-panel ball was the most colorful in the history of the game with flowing wish bands in green, blue and orange on the ball.
The ball became a staple and was used in professional leagues around the world like the German Bundesliga and Major League Soccer in the U.S. and Canada.
And more than anything it was a welcome change from the Jabulani from 4 years earlier.
The twenty one ball is also sponsored by adidas.
This ball name is a copy of 1970 ball.
Its name is also Adidas Telstar.
Adidas Telstar
The Telstar 18, the official ball of World Cup in Russia, has a familiar look.
The black and white ball is a modern interpretation of the famous 1970 Telstar.
The Telstar was the first to be provided by adidas and the 3-stripes has been the official match ball provider since that tournament.
The 6-panel ball incorporated the latest ball technology and has been through extensive testing but the pixilated gives the impression of the old 32-panel original Telstar.
This is the first World Cup match ball to be predominantly black and white since the Questra was used at the 1994 World Cup in the USA.
FIFA 2018 Official Song:
FIFA
2018
Russia
World Cup
Group H:
Colombia:
This team has been playing in FIFA for the last 6 years.
They made their appearance in 1962.
They went till the quarter finals in 2014.
This is the best this team did.
Squad:
GOALKEEPERS:
David Ospina,
Camilo Vargas,
Ivan Arboleda,
Jose Fernando Cuadrado.
DEFENDERS:
Cristian Zapata,
Davinson Sanchez,
Santiago Arias,
Oscar Murillo,
Frank Fabra,
Johan Mojica,
Yerry Mina,
William Tesillo,
Bernardo Espinosa,
Stefan Medina,
Farid Díaz.
MIDFIELDERS:
Wílmar Barrios,
Carlos Sánchez,
Jefferson Lerma,
Jose Izquierdo,
James Rodriguez,
Giovanni Moreno,
Abel Aguilar,
Mateus Uribe,
Yimmi Chara,
Juan Fernando Quintero,
Edwin Cardona,
Juan Cuadrado,
Gustavo Cuellar,
Sebastian Perez.
FORWARDS:
Radamel Falcao,
Duvan Zapata,
Miguel Borja,
Carlos Bacca,
Luis Fernando Muriel,
Teofilo Gutierrez.
Coach:
Jose Pekerman
Japan:
This team has been playing in FIFA for the last 6 years.
They made their first appearance in the 1998.
This team even qualified for the round of 16 in 2002 and 2010/
This is the best of this team yet.
Squad:
Goal keeper:
KAWASHIMA Eiji
HIGASHIGUCHI Masaaki
NISHIKAWA Shusaku
Defender:
NAGATOMO Yuto
MAKINO Tomoaki
MORISHIGE Masato
YOSHIDA Maya
MARUYAMA Yuichi
SAKAI Hiroki
SAKAI Gotoku
SHOJI Gen
Midfielder:
HASEBE Makoto
KASHIWAGI Yosuke
KAGAWA Shinji
KIYOTAKE Hiroshi
KOBAYASHI Yuki
OHSHIMA Ryota
ENDO Wataru
Forward:
OKAZAKI Shinji
HONDA Keisuke
KOBAYASHI Yu
KANAZAKI Mu
HARAGUCHI Genki
USAMI Takashi
ASANO Takuma
Coach:
Vahid Halilhodzic
Poland:
This team has been playing for the last 8 years in FIFA/
They made their debut in 1938.
Were even at third place in 1974 and 1982/
This is the best of this team yet.
Squad:
GOALKEEPERS:
Bartosz Bialkowski,
Lukasz Fabianski,
Lukasz Skorupski,
Wojciech Szczesny.
DEFENDER:
Jan Bednarek,
Bartosz Bereszynski,
Thiago Cionek,
Kamil Glik,
Artur Jedrzejczyk,
Marcin Kaminski,
Tomasz Kedziora,
Michal Pazdan,
Lukasz Piszczek.
MIDFIELDER:
Jakub Blaszczykowski,
Pawel Dawidowicz,
Przemyslaw Frankowski,
Jacek Goralski,
Kamil Grosicki,
Damian Kadzior,
Grzegorz Krychowiak,
Rafal Kurzawa,
Karol Linetty,
Maciej Makuszewski,
Krzysztof Maczynski,
Slawomir Peszko,
Maciej Rybus,
Sebastian Szymanski,
Piotr Zielinski,
Szymon Zurkowski.
FORWARD:
Dawid Kownacki,
Robert Lewandowski,
Arkadiusz Milik,
Krzysztof Piatek,
Lukasz Teodorczyk,
Kamil Wilczek.
Coach:
Adam Nawalka
Senegal:
This team has been playing for the last 2 years.
They made their first appearance in 2002.
And even they went to the quarter finals in 2002.
Squad:
GOALKEEPERS:
Khadim Ndiaye,
Abdoulaye Diallo,
Alfred Gomis
DEFENDERS:
Kara Mbodji,
Kalidou Koulibaly,
Moussa Wague,
Saliou Ciss,
Youssouf Sabaly,
Lamine Gassama,
Armand Traore,
Salif Sane
MIDFIELDERS:
Pape Alioune Ndiaye,
Idrissa Gueye,
Cheikhou Kouyate,
Cheikh N’Doye
FORWARDS:
Sadio Mane,
Diao Balde Keita,
Ismaila Sarr,
Diafra Sakho,
Moussa Konate,
Mame Biram Diouf,
Mbaye Niang
Coach:
Aliou Cisse
