FIFA World Cup (Men's)

North Macedonia Just Pulled Off The Greatest Upset In Soccer History To Deny Italy From World Cup

North Macedonia pulled off one the biggest upsets in sporting history on Thursday when the minnows took on European champions Italy in a World Cup playoff and somehow pulled off a 1-0 victory in Palermo.

This game could've been played 100 times and Italy wins 99 times.

But I watched this game from start to finish and I must say the North Macedonia win was absolutely deserved. I don’t know if I've ever seen a more valiant display of defending in my life. Italy recorded 32 shots but only five ended up on target. 

Ball Don’t Lie: Turkey Misses Soft Penalty To Help Portugal, Ronaldo Eke Through

Sometimes, the ball knows more than the referee and video replay.

With Portugal nursing a one-goal lead late in its UEFA World Cup qualifying playoff, Turkey was awarded a Charmin-soft penalty. Burak Yılmaz stepped up to the spot, but the ball knew what had to happen.

Yılmaz skied his penalty over the crossbar, Portugal scored a late insurance goal and Cristiano Ronaldo’s side advanced to the qualifying final with a 3-1 victory on Thursday. 

Portugal now will play North Macedonia, which stunned Italy 1-0, on Tuesday for the right to go to the World Cup in November. 

Godly Gareth Bale Performance Puts Wales On Cusp Of First World Cup Since 1958

Gareth Bale's 2021-22 Real Madrid season was summed up by last Sunday's Clásico, when rumors of a surprise start in replace of the injured Karim Benzema led to nothing more than the Welshman missing out on the matchday squad entirely.

Bale's played a total of just 270 minutes in five appearances across all competitions, including only 77 minutes this calendar year, and his only goal of the campaign came way back in August.

But as we all know, Bale's an entirely different animal when representing his national team: Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order.

Alexi Lalas Says Current Mexico Team Is The Worst He's Ever Seen

Back in 2017, with two matches remaining in the World Cup qualifying cycle and the USMNT on the outside, looking in, Alexi Lalas went ballistic post-match on FS1 after a 1-1 draw between the Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles Galaxy. Lalas' tirade was directed at "the supposed leaders" of the U.S. squad, and criticized them for, among other things, having tattoos and being Jozy Altidore.

Canada Might Just Be USMNT’s Greatest Ally — Here’s How They Can Help

The USMNT shouldn’t and doesn’t need help to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. Gregg Berhalter’s side controls its own destiny to make it to Qatar this winter. But it’s never a bad idea to have backup plan, and America’s neighbor to the north is on standby to bail the USMNT out should it fail against Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica.

Japan Clinches World Cup Spot With 89th-Minute Goal And Condemns Australia To Playoff Path

SYDNEY - Substitute Kaoru Mitoma scored twice in the final few minutes to give Japan a 2-0 win over Australia at a rain-soaked Olympic Stadium on Thursday and send his country through to seventh successive edition of the World Cup finals.

Japan's first victory over the Socceroos in Australia since 1998 also secured Saudi Arabia's passage to Qatar and condemned Australia to a tricky path through two playoffs if they are to make the finals for the fifth time in a row.

Angry Fans Are Threatening Mexico With THAT Homophobic Chant In Game Against USMNT: Here’s Why

The game vs. the United States could become a new nightmare for Mexican soccer in its war against the homophobic chant — "eeeh, puto!" — if local fans commit to social media campaigns calling to boycott the Mexican Football Federation.

Hoy En Ideas Innecesarias: Quieren Llevar El Corazón De Maradona Al Mundial De Catar

Dieciséis meses después de su muerte, hay gente que todavía quiere seguir estrujando el nombre de Diego Maradona para ganar visibilidad, dinero o quién sabe qué diablos.

¿El último ejemplo en exhibición? La agencia de publicidad Bombay está proponiendo seriamente la idea de llevar el corazón de Maradona al Mundial de Catar 2022 para que así acompañe y guíe a la selección de Argentina durante el torneo.

Mexico vs. USA Predictions: How We Think The World Cup Qualifier Will Play Out

This is it. This is the final Mexico vs USA soccer match in World Cup qualifying that will really matter. After this, the teams will (presumably) be given automatic berths to the 2026 World Cup as co-hosts before Concacaf qualifiers are be rendered largely meaningless when FIFA expands the field to 48 teams. 

But now, this Mexico vs USA soccer match is the biggest sporting event in the world this month — or at least in North America. 

Berhalter Might Throw On The B-Team At Estadio Azteca, And I’m Perfectly OK With That Choice

I’m not going to lie. The USMNT’s final three World Cup qualifiers have me nervous. 

I can’t recall a time I’ve been this anxious over a sporting event. Gregg Berhalter must get his injury-riddled team through the gauntlet of Mexico, Panama (the only home game) and Costa Rica. 

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