Author: Brila

The three Lions of England will today take on Croatia in the second World Cup semifinals and the winner will face France in the final due Sunday, 14th July. England and Croatia have met seven times before, with the Three Lions winning four times, losing twice and sharing a draw. The two nations drew their opening encounter 0-0 in 1996 before England won the next friendly 3-1 in 2003. England then won their first competitive clash, a 4-2 victory at Euro 2004 in which Wayne Rooney scored two goals. But Croatia got their own back over…

The FIFA World Cup 2018 has been one of the most thrilling World Cups in the recent past. There have been wonderful goals, brilliant saves, solid defending and innovative tactics. But one thing missing from the tournament has been standout individual performances. With only 3 more games to go, it is not clear on who is the favorite to win the Golden Ball. Brila.net is taking a look at some of the top and most consistent World Cup players so far. Luka Modric Modric has been phenomenal. At the peak of his career and most of other Croatia…

Super Eagles and Trabzonspor MidfielderOgenyi Onazi has expressed his appreciation to Nigerians for the overwhelming support shown the Eagles while in Russia. In a chat with www.brila.net, Onazi said he is indeed grateful to Nigerians for the opportunity and the support the team got both in Russia and from home. According to Onazi, he said he understands that Nigerian’s will always want them to win, but has pleaded that they should bear it in mind that result might sometimes tilt in the opposite direction & has promised that they will continue to work hard to make the country…

France booked their place in the final of the 2018 World Cup with a 1-0 victory over Belgium, narrowly besting Belgium in an end-to-end affair at the Krestovsky Stadium in St. Petersburg, Russia. France got the only goal of the thrilling encounter six minutes into the second half when Samuel Umtiti got to Antoine Griezmann’s corner ahead of Marouane Fellaini and saw his header clip the Belgium midfielder on its way into the net. More Follows…

Real Madrid and Juventus have reportedly agreed the €105 million transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo, with an official announcement of the move expected to be made in a matter of hours. The Portuguese is currently on holiday in Greece, but was reportedly paid a visit by Juventus president Andrea Agnelli on Tuesday. According to a report by Jugones de La Sexta and cited by Marca, Real’s bosses will accept the €105 million (R1.65 billion) offer from Juventus. Agnelli reportedly asked Real for permission to meet with the superstar, and this was granted, which means an official announcement could reportedly still happen on…

Arsenal have completed the signing of Sampdoria and Uruguay midfielder Lucas Torreira in a deal reported to be worth €30 million. The deal was finalized after Torreira flew into London following Uruguay’s exit at the World Cup in Russia, having helped his country reach the quarterfinals. We’re excited to have you with us, @LTorreira34 👊#WeAreTheArsenal 🔴https://t.co/vKUK48McMZ — Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) July 10, 2018 Head coach Unai Emery said: “In Lucas Torreira, we have signed a young player who is a very bright talent in the game. A midfielder with great quality, I have enjoyed watching his performances for…

What is more exciting in France playing Belgium in the World Cup semifinals? it is the prospect of watching N’golo Kante and Eden Hazard face each other in Russia. The two players are arguably the best legs for Chelsea – Kante tidies up work in the midfield, while Hazard has business with creating goalscoring chances. Now in the World Cup, Hazard will have to overcome Kante who he once referred to as playing like he was two on the pitch. If Hazard’s words come back to haunt him, he will have to dribble past the diminutive midfielder twice.…

The French National team are dreaming of reaching another World Cup final. But could multicultural Belgium put the mockers on that ambition? It is apt that Belgium, which houses the headquarters of the European Union, possesses a football team epitomizing the concept of international cooperation. Roberto Martinez, the head coach, is a Spaniard. His main assistant, Graeme Jones, is from England and his forwards’ coach is Thierry Henry, a Frenchman. The triumvirate have united under the Belgian standard and are two games away from the biggest prize in national team football. Both France and Belgium were under…

FIFA has issued a formal warning to a Croatia player who praised Ukraine in a video after his team beat World Cup host Russia, according to Washington Post.  Vida and team’s coach Ognjen Vukojević posted a video, where the player chants ‘Glory to Ukraine’ and Vukojević says: “This win is for Dynamo and for Ukraine. Go, Croatia!” The statement angered many Russian social media users amid the political tension between Russia and Ukraine. “We can confirm that FIFA’s disciplinary committee has sent a warning to the player Domagoj Vida due to his video statement following the 2018 FIFA World Cup…

Former Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger has defended Mesut Ozil’s World Cup performance and explained why he struggled in Russia. Ozil has been slaughtered after Germany were knocked out of the World Cup during the group stage. Ozil was dropped for the only game Germany actually won – the comeback match against Sweden – and toiled against Mexico and South Korea. His dad has even suggested he should retire rather than continue to take the flak. Germany came into the tournament as world champions but were the first top nation to bow out. And Wenger thinks…