Lionel Messi is under increased pressure to redeem himself when Argentina face Croatia in Thursday’s pivotal match after eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo scored his fourth goal of the World Cup to send Morocco packing. France will be looking for a second World Cup Group C win against Peru Thursday while Australia need to bounce back […]
Messi
Argentina rally behind Messi ahead of key Croatia clash
Argentina are rallying around captain Lionel Messi as the South American giants prepare for their crucial Group D clash with Croatia here on Thursday. Messi made an unhappy start to the World Cup on Saturday, missing what would have been a winning penalty as Argentina were held to a 1-1 draw by minnows Iceland. It […]
Messi to put heat on Iceland as France target Australia
MOSCOW: Lionel Messi’s bid for World Cup redemption begins Saturday when he leads Argentina against an unfancied Iceland side intent on springing a surprise in their first appearance on football’s biggest stage. Messi’s eternal rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, made history on Friday, when he became only the fourth player to score at four World Cups on […]
Messi says Argentina future depends on World Cup
BRONNITSY, Russia: Argentina captain Lionel Messi said his international future will be determined by his country’s performance at the World Cup in Russia. “It will depend on how far we go, how we’re going to finish” at the finals, Messi said in an interview with Spanish daily Sport. “We’ve just lost three finals in a […]
Argentina-Israel warm-up fixture cancelled over Palestinian protests
A pre-World Cup 2018 warm-up fixture between 2-time world champions Argentina and Israel in Jerusalem was cancelled after protests erupted in Palestine over the move. According to the media, the two teams were set to face each other in a friendly match before the commencement of the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Jerusalem on June […]
Palestinians protest over Messi playing against Israel
RAMALLAH: The Chief of Palestine Football Association (FA) expressed his anger against Argentina striker Lionel Messi for opting to play against Israel in Jerusalem the following weekend. He asked fans to burn Messi’s pictures and replicas of his shirt in protest. Palestinians are criticising the Argentine for his upcoming World Cup warm-up match that he […]
Lionel Messi welcomes third child with wife Antonella Roccuzzo
FC Barcelona and Argentina national team superstar Lionel Messi welcomed his third child with wife Antonella Roccuzzo on Saturday. The 30-year-old’s first child, son Thiago was born in 2012, while Messi welcomed second son Mateo in 2016. Earlier on Saturday, FC Barcelona announced via the club’s official Twitter account that the Argentine is expected to […]
Atletico fixture like a final, says Barcelona coach
BARCELONA: FC Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde on Saturday termed the La Liga fixture between his side and Atletico Madrid as a ‘final’. Barcelona enjoyed an 11-point daylight between themselves and Atletico going into February, but three draws in last five fixtures have reduced the point gap to five. Speaking to a pre-match press conference, Valverde […]
Messi ends Chelsea drought to give Barcelona last-16 edge
LONDON: Chelsea manager Antonio Conte rued one costly mistake as Lionel Messi gave Barcelona the upper hand from the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie by salvaging a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. Messi struck for the first time in nine games against Chelsea 15 minutes from the end, as Andres Iniesta punished the […]
Coutinho’s maiden goal helps Barcelona reach Spanish Cup final
VALENCIA: Barcelona’s record signing Philippe Coutinho on Thursday scored his maiden goal for the club helping the Blaugranas reach Spanish Cup final after a convincing 2-0 win against Valencia. Coutinho, who was signed from Liverpool in January for a record fee of £142 million, came off the bench at half-time and poked home a cross from […]