Sports

World Cup Group D preview: Look easy for France, Denmark

Published

2 years ago

13/11/2022

PARIS, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) — Titleholders France look to have been placed in an easy group at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Denmark, Australia and Tunisia will compete with the defending champions for two tickets into the last 16.

It is not hard to predict the favorites and underdogs in the group as France and Denmark are ranked in FIFA’s top 10, while Tunisia and Australia are both out of the top 20 and have combined to play only one World Cup knockout game in all time.

Despite the absence of injured midfielders Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante, France remains one of the outright favorites for the tournament with a wonderfully gifted pool of players, including the attacking trio Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann.

Here is a breakdown of the four teams in Group D, which kicks off on November 22 when Denmark faces Tunisia at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan.

FRANCE

No nation has retained the World Cup title since Pele-led Brazil teams of 1958 and 1962; what’s more, all the defending champions in the previous three editions, named Italy in 2010, Spain in 2014, and Germany in 2018, didn’t survive the group stage.

Will Les Bleus snap the streak? With Mbappe becoming a super striker and Ballon d’Or winner Benzema back in the squad, coach Didier Deschamp should have confidence in his team.

It is Deschamp’s tenth year with the French national team, and the 54-year-old will try to bounce back from a disappointing UEFA Euro 2020 run that ended in the round of 16, losing to Switzerland in penalties.

As well as established stars, the French also have a seemingly inexhaustible supply of young talents, among them Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Christopher Nkunku, William Saliba and Jules Kounde; all the five players will make their World Cup debut in Qatar.

The injuries of star midfielders Pogba and Kante were definitely the biggest blow to the team. A lack of experience with the replacements, such as Tchouameni and Camavinga, maybe a potential weakness for the reigning champions.

Star player: Karim Benzema

The Real Madrid forward had a perfect 2021-2022 season, during which he won the Champions League and La Liga with the Spanish giants. He was named the UEFA Men’s Player of the year and won the Ballon d’Or. Along with Mbappe, he will be France’s key man in Qatar.

Since resuming his international career at Euro 2020, following an absence of five and a half years, the former Lyon striker has scored 10 goals in 16 international appearances and has shown how much of a matchwinner he is.

Benzema made a fast start at his last World Cup finals, Brazil 2014, scoring twice in a 3-0 win over Honduras in France’s opening match. He ended the tournament with three goals in five games. Eight years on, can he make an impact at Qatar 2022?

DENMARK

Denmark’s football history has been marked by their sensational winning at Euro 1992 when the Danish Fairytale made the headlines all over the world.

Last year at Euro 2020, the Danish team came close to glory again, having somehow recovered from the trauma of star player Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest in the opening match to make an unlikely run to the semifinals.

Even more impressive was their form in the World Cup qualifying. Denmark secured the berth with a couple of games to spare.

In the UEFA Nations League, Denmark beat France twice in just four months. It’s easy to see why the Danes are being discussed as a potential Group D winner.

Head coach Kasper Hjulmand often deploys a 3-4-3 formation against strong opponents but switches to a more attack-minded 4-3-3 against weaker teams. He is adept at changing tactics during games, either through a switch of formation or substitutions.

Star player: Christian Eriksen

It’s hard to think of a player with a more compelling story in Qatar than Eriksen, who literally came back from the dead in June 2021 when he suffered a cardiac arrest four minutes before halftime in Denmark’s first match at the Euros.

The 30-year-old midfielder has shown incredible willpower to continue his career at the top level and is now at Manchester United after a successful six-month spell at Brentford.

A healthy Eriksen – with his crafty footwork, immaculate set-piece service and vision to unlock defenses – is definitely a key man for the Danes at the World Cup.

AUSTRALIA

When Australia qualified for Germany 2006, it was just the second FIFA World Cup of its history – and its first in over 30 years. Now, with the Socceroos heading to the fifth consecutive global finals, people might imagine that this is being celebrated as the continuation of a golden era.

Australia got the berth after navigating a grueling 20-game qualifying slate that featured two group stages, a regional playoff and an intercontinental playoff.

Graham Arnold, a former Australia assistant and interim coach who has taken the full-time job since 2018, continues to lean on a number of veterans like Sunderland center-back Bailey Wright, Celtic defensive midfielder Aaron Mooy and Melbourne City attacker Mathew Leckie.

Star player: Ajdin Hrustic

The attacking midfielder was certainly the star of Australia’s qualifying campaign, scoring the winner in the AFC play-off victory over UAE, having previously found the net with a couple of stunning free-kicks along the way.

The 26-year-old playmaker played a big part in Eintracht Frankfurt’s route to win the UEFA Europa League last season and moved to Italian club Hellas Verona this summer.

TUNISIA

The North African nation is yet to find its way past the group stage in five World Cup appearances. And it will be very hard for them to make a breakthrough in Qatar.

The Eagles of Carthage punched their ticket to Qatar by topping Mali 1-0 on aggregate in the final round of Africa’s World Cup qualifying campaign.

Star player: Ellyes Skhiri

This extraordinary box-to-box player is a vital defensive cog in the midfield. He has an uncanny ability to intercept and win second balls, as well as snuff-out attacks.

Offensively, he creates lots of chances with his long balls from his deep-lying position, which allows him to detect opportunities better than others. His lethal long shots are another string to his bow.

Sports

Minister announces survey for 20-year sports development plan

Published

2 days ago

15/05/2024

Minister of Sports, Fitness, and Recreation Abdulla Rafiu has announced a special survey for the Maldives’ 20-year sports development plan.

The draft plan was developed in February and focuses on cultivating top athletes by training coaches in schools, hosting major tournaments in the Maldives, and expanding sports associations’ activities in the atolls.

At a press conference, Minister Rafiu highlighted ongoing collaboration with sports associations. He said that detailed work on the long-term policy is available on the ministry’s website. He also said that the survey is a critical part of the process and spans 22 pages and requires time for completion by each association.

Additionally, Minister Rafiu mentioned agreements with Malaysia for training athletes and administrators. He also said that discussions about the plan have taken place with France, and talks are ongoing with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Source(s): PsmNews

Sports

Mbappe announces PSG departure at end of season

Published

6 days ago

11/05/2024

MARSEILLE, May 10 (Xinhua) — Kylian Mbappe confirmed on Friday that he will leave French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, without revealing his next destination.

But according to multiple media reports, he will join the La Liga powerhouses Real Madrid after the season ends.

“I wanted to announce to you all that it’s my last year at Paris Saint-Germain. I will not extend and the adventure will come to an end in a few weeks,” Mbappe said in a video posted on social media.

“I will play my last game at the Parc des Princes on Sunday.”

The French international joined PSG on loan from Monaco in 2017 and officially signed with the capital-based side after the season ended for a transfer fee of 180 million euros.

During his seven years with the team, Mbappe helped the club claim six league titles and three French Cup victories, making 306 appearances and scoring 255 goals, becoming the top scorer in the team’s history.

“It’s a lot of emotions, many years where I had the chance and the great honor to be a member of the biggest French club, one of the best in the world,” said the 26-year-old.

“It allowed me to arrive here, to have my first experience in a club with a lot of pressure, to grow as a player of course, by being alongside some of the best in history, some of the greatest champions,” he added.

“It’s hard and I never thought it would be this difficult to announce that… but I think I needed this, a new challenge, after seven years.”

PSG have already secured the Ligue 1 title of this season and reached the French Cup final, where they will compete for the championship against Lyon on May 25th.

However, in the Champions League where the team most aspired to make a mark, they suffered another disappointing exit as they were eliminated in the semifinals after being defeated in both legs by Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.

Source(s): Xinhua

Sports

Real Madrid defeat Bayern Munich to reach Champions League final

Published

1 week ago

09/05/2024

MADRID, May 8 (Xinhua) — Two late goals from Real Madrid substitute Joselu overturned a 1-0 deficit to Bayern Munich to book the Spanish side a place in the Champions League final on Wednesday.

Bayern were leading 1-0 in the 88th minute thanks to a goal from substitute Alphonso Davis when keeper Manuel Neuer inexplicably spilled a tame effort from Vinicius Jr that he would normally have clutched to his chest, allowing Joselu to poke home from close range.

Two minutes later Joselu netted his second after Bayern failed to clear a corner and Antonio Rudiger crossed for him to put the empty net, and give his side a 2-1 win on the night and a 4-3 triumph on aggregate.

From the start it was clear it would be a different game from the first leg in Munich a week ago, because rather than looking to energetically pressure their rivals high up the field, Bayern sat back, with three organized lines willing to soak up Real Madrid’s pressure.

That allowed Madrid more of the ball, but fewer spaces for Rodrygo and Vinicius to exploit, although Rodrygo was close to getting a touch on Dani Carvajal’s low cross in the sixth minute.

Vinicius should have put his side ahead in the 13th minute when the attack-minded Carvajal picked him in space and his shot bounced back off the post, with the forward hitting the rebound at Neuer.

Serge Gnabry suffered a relapse of his muscle problems in the 26th minute and was replaced by Alphonso Davis, before Harry Kane tested Andriy Lunin with a shot on the turn a minute later.

Real Madrid were doing most of the attacking however, and Neuer had to be alert to tip Vinicius’ in-swinging cross out for a corner after it threatened to evade everyone and end up in the net.

The second half began with Vinicius’ electric run and cross blocked at the last moment, before Davis saw a shot deflected for a corner at the other end.

Vinicius was giving Bayern right back Joshua Kimmich a torrid night, beating him time after time, with one run setting up Rodrygo to fire just wide and another drawing a flying save from Neuer.

Neuer also got across to block a Rodrygo free kick as Madrid continued to dominate, although Kane and Jamal Musiala both drew saves from Lunin.

Davis stunned the Bernabeu in the 68th minute when he collected a pass from Kane, cut inside and beat Lunin with a powerful shot into the far corner of the net.

Bayern seemed to be closing in on a famous win but Joselu was brought on and changed the game. Real Madrid will now face Borussia Dortmund looking for their 15th Champions League title.

Source(s): Xinhua