Portugal will lament giving up a 91st minute equalizer to Mexico in their opening Confederations Cup match, but it’s a result that doesn’t greatly harm the aspirations of the two sides favored to advance from Group A. Ricardo Quaresma gave Portugal the lead in the 34th minute, only for Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez to equalize three minutes before halftime for Mexico.
When it comes to world politics, Vladimir Putin may be the most powerful man in the world.
When it comes to sports, he’s more on par with Kim Jong Il — a well-known fan, but not exactly an authority on the games.
In 365 days — or 31,536,000 seconds, but who’s counting? — the 2018 World Cup will kick off from Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on June 14. A month later, the world champion will be crowned at the same stadium on July 15.
For that one month, all eyes will be on Russia, not for their meddling in U.S. elections or invading sovereign nations, but for the planet’s greatest sporting event.
Here’s what you need to know for the rapidly approaching World Cup.
Dates
It could be argued that this was Jose Mourinho’s masterplan all along against Rostov at Old Trafford, to sit back, control possession against an ultra-defensive setup and just let Zlatan Ibrahimovic do his thing.
It worked, and no one will remember this game tomorrow. Manchester United are through to the quarterfinals of the Europa League thanks to a beautiful assist from Ibrahimovic. United required a phenomenal save from Sergio Romero at the death to avoid extra time, and everything else made you want to be crushed by the skull of Marouane Fellaini.
The Олимп-2 pitch in Rostov-on-Don was frozen. It was wonderfully patchy and Jose Mourinho wondered if you could even call it a field at all. His desire to have the venue changed was laughed off by a UEFA official, Mourinho claiming the official told him “the players are insured, so if something happens, no problem.”
Zenit Arena, which will be called Saint Petersburg Stadium during the 2017 Confederations Cup and 2018 World Cup, has finally hosted its first event after beginning construction in 2007.
Chances are, you've never heard the name Tornike Okriashvili.
He's a midfielder from Georgia (the country, not the state) who plays for FC Krasnodar in the Russian first division, and, man, he just scored one of the craziest game winners you'll ever see.
The above bicycle kick came in the fourth minute of extra time against Zenit St. Petersburg.
The goal was all the more insane because Krasnodar were 1-0 down after Zenit scored in the 86th minute, and they came back to win 2-1.
The 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, the tune-up tournament for the main event that will follow in 2018, draw took place this morning in Kazan, Russia. The tournament will be held this summer, running from June 17 to July 2, throughout Russia, and we now know the makeup of the two groups at the competition.
Group A features the hosts, Russia, along with the winners of Euro 2016, Portugal. Also in the group are the winners of the 2015 CONCACAF Cup playoff match, Mexico, and New Zealand, the winners of the 2016 OFC Nations Cup Final.