If you're still rewinding and replaying Lionel Messi's magnificent assist vs. Croatia, this fan footage of it will knock your socks off.
The magic behind the clip is that it shows the play from its genesis and allows you to see how Messi masterminded the sequence with some small talk with Julián Álvarez near the midfield line.
Trailing 1-0 to France shortly before halftime in Wednesday's FIFA World Cup semifinal, Morocco center back Jawad El Yamiq almost found an equalizer with an outrageous bicycle kick from 12 yards out.
Initially it looked like the overhead attempt had thumped directly off the base of the post, but it was counted as a shot on target and save for Hugo Lloris after replays showed the French goalkeeper getting his fingertips to it to help aid it onto the woodwork.
Without Lloris' touch, maybe the shot hits the inside of the post and goes in.
Lionel Messi's recent World Cup past has been synonymous with infamous performances from Argentina's strikers.
In the 2014 final, Gonzalo Higuaín was Argentina's worst player, slicing a glorious opportunity wide and failing to check his run on an offside goal. In 2018, Sergio Agüero fought with manager Jorge Sampaoli and got dropped.
If you’re a casual soccer fan who tunes in for the World Cup and the occasional game, you probably noticed an odd tactic. “Why does a player lie down behind the wall in soccer?” you may have asked yourself.
The tactic of having a player laying down behind the wall is simple. Having a player lay down behind the wall denies the free kick taker any chance at shooting the ball underneath the wall when the players jump.
Giovanni Reyna is back with the people who love him most. After getting all of 52 minutes at the World Cup despite being fully fit, the 20-year-old American eclipsed that total Saturday during a 60-minute performance in a Borussia Dortmund friendly against Rapid Bucharest.
If you were wondering what all the fuss was about concerning Gregg Berhalter's decision to keep Reyna on the bench, this thunderbolt in Dortmund's 2-1 win should answer your questions.
When the Netherlands ceded possession to the United States in the World Cup Round of 16, it was a departure from football history but a masterstroke from the Dutch: they knew the U.S. wouldn't have the quality to find that final pass in the attacking third and that they'd slice the Americans apart going the other direction.
A similar approach could be seen by the Netherlands at the start of its quarterfinal match against Argentina. Playing in a 3-4-1-2, the Dutch packed the middle of the park and said there's no way you're finding joy centrally.
Spain manager Luis Enrique made the surprise decision to start Marcos Llorente at right back for his team’s Round of 16 clash with Morocco. Llorente hadn’t played a single minute in this World Cup before Tuesday and Morocco’s Sofiane Boufal had a field day with him in the first half.
Boufal was a Moroccan menace in the opening 45 minutes showing off a variety of skills and good dribbles. The 29-year-old winger who plays for Angers in Ligue 1 made Llorente’s life a living hell.
In a World Cup of meticulously calculated added time, South Korea was extremely grateful to the officiating crew for only adding five minutes to the end of the first-half Monday after Brazil scored four salacious goals and accented each with a three-part dance production.
You felt bad for the Taegeuk Warriors because it definitely got embarrassing, but this is why you always, without fail, put Brazil on the television when they're playing at a World Cup — this is the beautiful game.
Luis Chávez fue, sin lugar a dudas, el mejor jugador mexicano del Mundial.
El mediocampista del Pachuca tuvo un gran desempeño a lo largo de los tres partidos en la fase de grupos, coronando todo con un gol de tiro libre frente a Arabia Saudita que, para muchos, ha sido uno de los mejores de la Copa del Mundo hasta el momento.
Una bala a la escuadra.
When put in a situation of extreme adversity, there's no better plan of action than feigning death. I've read all the leadership books and they all agree that playing possum is the most effective form of self-help. Just wait enough time and all your problems will leave you alone.
If you're talented enough, it's also an effective strategy out on the pitch.
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