International Soccer

World Cup semifinal ref assignments confirmed — every team feels cheated and wronged

After a controversial and emotionally charged quarterfinal round (who could've predicted that?), the 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinal referees have been announced before Tuesday and Wednesday's matches of Argentina vs. Croatia and France vs. Morocco, respectively.

World Cup semifinal referees

On Tuesday, the Argentina vs Croatia ref is Italian Daniele Orsato. You know he's legit because he took charge of Qatar's opener and Ecuador won it 2-0. He was also in charge of Argentina's victory over Mexico.  

Berhalter isn't acting like U.S. manager by throwing a 20-year-old under the bus

The rumored tension between USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter and precocious talent Giovanni Reyna was confirmed with the final call, as the old horror movie cliché goes, coming from inside the house: Berhalter provided all the saucy details and headline leading quotes during a *checks notes* HOW Institute for Society's Summit on Moral Leadership.

Man-mark Messi? Croatia's three-headed midfield monster ready to immobilize entire team

DOHA - Croatia will not attempt to stop Argentina superstar Lionel Messi by man-marking him but instead will focus on immobilizing the entire team in their World Cup semifinal on Tuesday, they said.

Croatia are bidding to make it to the final for the second World Cup in a row after losing in the 2018 showcase match to France.

They stunned tournament favorites Brazil in the quarterfinals after going a goal down in extra-time but dug deep to bounce back with a late equalizer and force a penalty shootout that they ended up winning.

¿Cristiano Ronaldo se retira de Portugal?: “Fue lindo mientras duró”

Con el dolor aún en las venas, Cristiano Ronaldo dejó el refugio del silencio y habló por primera vez desde la eliminación que sufrió Portugal a manos de Marruecos, en los cuartos de final del Mundial de Catar 2022.

El Bicho está triste y en un mensaje en Instagram vació todo lo que siente en el alma, dejando además un críptico mensaje sobre su futuro en la selección lusa. 

The making of Morocco: How a largely foreign-born contingent delivered in Qatar

DOHA - Morocco’s unexpected march to the World Cup semifinals can be attributed partly to a policy of deliberately seeking out talent in the Diaspora to strengthen the national team and give them a better chance of success.

14 of Morocco’s 26-man squad were born outside the country, more than any other team at the tournament in Qatar, providing an eclectic mix of players from growing migrant communities across Europe who have helped them break new ground.

World Cup top scorers 2022: Who will win the Golden Boot?

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has entered the knockout phase, and one of the top honors players will be competing for is the Golden Boot, awarded to the player with the most goals in the tournament.

The number of assists by a player is considered in the case of a tie for goals scored. If players are tied on both counts, the winner is decided by who played the fewest minutes.

Drogba, Shakira, Elon Musk among many sending Morocco congrats on making history

Morocco's 1-0 upset of Portugal in the World Cup on Saturday made history as they became the first African nation to ever reach the semifinals. Congratulations came from all corners of the world after the Atlas Lions knocked Cristiano Ronaldo's side out of the tournament.

Twitter owner and CEO Elon Musk — certainly happy for all the engagements and interactions that the team is generating on his social platform — sent some love. 

England out of the World Cup after Harry Kane boots penalty kick to Mars

Football won’t be coming home in 2022 for England as France defeated the Three Lions 2-1 on Saturday in the World Cup quarterfinals.

England will be regretting not taking advantage of a so-so French performance. The biggest moment came in the 84th minute when Harry Kane failed epically on a penalty kick by blasting the ball over the bar to the 10th row.

Harry Kane manda un penal a las nubes y Francia elimina a Inglaterra

Francia batió a Inglaterra por 2-1 y completó el cuadro de semifinales del Mundial de Catar 2022.

El encuentro entre galos e ingleses había sido considerado por muchos la final anticipada del torneo y en el campo el desarrollo del partido cumplió con las expectativas. Ambas selecciones dieron lo mejor que tenían en los pulmones y la diferencia básicamente la hizo la mala puntería de Harry Kane, quien envió a la nubes un penal que bien pudo haber llevado el duelo al tiempo extra.

Pepe complains about referee selection vs. Morocco and says the WC has been fixed for Argentina

With the pain of the elimination still burning inside, the veteran Portuguese defender Pepe made a bold claim, saying that the World Cup has been set to give Argentina the title. 

Minutes after the 0-1 defeat against Morocco, Pepe elaborated his conspiracy theory talking with Portuguese broadcaster RTP3. And a lot had to do with the referee selection for the game against the Atlas Lions, Facundo Tello, who is Argentine. 

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