Author: Brila

A VAR-awarded penalty gave Sweden a narrow but deserved victory in their opening Group F match against a poor South Korea side in Nizhny Novgorod on Monday. Veteran Swedish skipper Andreas Granqvist scored the only goal of the game from the spot after Viktor Claesson was upended by South Korean substitute Kim Min-woo Kim in the 62nd minute. Despite furious appeals, El Salvadorean referee Joel Aguilar, who had ironically been whistle-happy up until that point, initially waved away Swedish penalty claims. But after consulting the video, he pointed to the spot. It was the third VAR penalty awarded at these…

Head Coach of the Icelandic National Team, Heimir Hallgrimsson has declared total defense against Nigeria following their 1-1 draw with Argentina at the Spartak Moscow on Saturday. Iceland will take on Nigeria in their second World Cup game on Friday, manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has hinted that he will park the bus against the three-time African champions as it’s not a must-win game for his team. ”It is a must-win game for Nigeria, that makes it a little bit technical, they have to win, at least we know that,” Hallgrimsson told reporters. ”A draw will be okay for us, at least we…

Iceland forward Jón Daði Böðvarsson made a heartwarming gesture in homage to his former teammate Carl Ikeme, who missed out on the World Cup with Nigeria this summer due to his ongoing battle with acute leukemia. Böðvarsson tweeted a picture of himself with his national teammates holding up an Iceland shirt with Ikeme’s name on the back, saying “all of us are with you”. Ikeme played with Böðvarsson at Wolves during the 2016/17 season and the pair is still great friends. Iceland and Nigeria will face up against each other on Friday 22nd June, although neither side are tipped to get…

Nigeria’s 2018 World Cup campaign began with a 0-2 loss to Croatia on Saturday but Coach Gernot Rohr believes his wards still have the chance to reach the knockout stage with two matches still to play in Group D. Andrej Kramaric’s slight touch from a corner kick was inadvertently diverted into the Super Eagles’ net by hard –working Oghenekaro Etebo in the 32nd minute, and Captain Luka Modric swept past goalkeeper Francis Uzoho in the 72nd minute to confirm the Croatian win in Kaliningrad. The Eagles stood up to their opponents from eastern Europe for the most part of the game but were undone…

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is still keen on signing Chelsea player Willian. The winger may be at the World Cup – but his future is far from sorted after falling out with Antonio Conte last term. The move has been reported for some time now but tonight the Daily Mail says that United are preparing a bid of £60 million to try and make the deal happen.

Nigeria can still progress to the World Cup knockout stage, despite their 2-0 defeat to Croatia on Saturday, according to Skipper John Obi Mikel. Mikel insists Nigeria must ‘go back to the drawing board’ following their 2-0 World Cup defeat to Croatia, but still believes the Super Eagles can progress from Group D. An own-goal from Oghenekaro Etebo and a penalty from Luka Modric secured the points for Croatia from a turgid contest in Kaliningrad on Saturday, without Nigeria ever looking likely of mounting a comeback. And former Chelsea midfielder Mikel, who captains Gernot Rohr’s side, acknowledged Nigeria must improve ahead of…

It was a frustrating night for the five-time champions Brazil as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Switzerland in their opening Group E match. Philippe Coutinho gave Brazil a perfect start by scoring a stunning goal in the 20th minute as they head to the half-time break with a 1-0 lead. But Steven Zuber’s header early in the second half (50th minute) was enough for the Swiss to snatch a point from one of the tournament favourites. Roberto Firmino and Breel Embolo were both introduced for the final 10 minutes of action, and the former fired one over…

Super Eagles and Stoke City Midfielder Oghenekaro Peter Etebo has reacted to Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Croatia in the ongoing Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup. Etebo spoke to one of our Sources in Russia earlier on Sunday that the game was a very disappointing one even though the team will work to correct their mistake against Iceland. “I don’t know what to say” “It’s a game of football” “We worked on set pieces since the most goals scored against us during friendlies came from set pieces” “Against Iceland, Nigerians should expect the best the way…

Hirving Lozano’s first-half goal and sturdy second-half defense gave Mexico a 1-0 victory over Germany on Sunday, providing the first major surprise of the 2018 World Cup. The game was a back-and-forth barnburner from the start, with El Tri taking advantage of Germany’s slow midfield. Sami Khedira and Toni Kroos didn’t look like they could deal with the pace of the game, and Germany manager Jogi Löw never fixed the problem. Germany had 25 shots by the end of the game, but no goals. El Tri goalkeeper Memo Ochoa was superb, while Mexico always had a way to relieve pressure…

Super Eagles and Bursaspor defender, William Troost-Ekong has admitted that the Super Eagles were just unlucky to have lost the Group D opener on Saturday. The Super Eagles lost 2-0 to an uninspiring Croatian side led y Real Madrid’s Luka Modric and Mario Mandzukic who was involved in both goals. “We were disappointed, its a game we wanted to win” “But we will be fine against Iceland” “We saw the Iceland vs Argentina game before coming here, I think everything we work in our favour” The Bursaspor defender shrugged off questions on how he feels…