Sports
AUNZ2023: Historical Thriller as Australia Beat France in Longest Penalty Kick ever at the World Cup 7-6.
The Maltidas of Australia on Saturday at the Lang Park (Suncorp) Stadium, Brisbane re-wrote history of world football in the most gruesome penalty shootouts ever, 20 kicks as the nation pathetically strolled past Les Blueus of France 7-6 to move to the semifinal of the tournament.
25 year old Sydney FC player, substitute in this match, Cortnee Vine shot the winner, the last kick that pulled Australia into world history. Maria Carvajal of Chile was the Ref in charge.
The Maltidas recorded the first team, male or female to ever qualify for any semifinal of the world cup. The team broke the jinx that no hosts would move to the last four as only USA broke it twice. The country recorded the highest country to make a devastating deafening noise, the highest I have ever encountered in my 46 years of reporting most of which were as a Broadcaster, for I will surely need to see an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Medical Specialist.
S. Bacha missed the first kickoff the game before Perisset, Dali and Becho also lost their kicks for France. Dali was given an opportunity to retake her kick but she still missed it.
The six scorers for France were Diani, Renard, Le Sommer, Geyano, Karchaoui and Lakar.
Scorers for AAustralia were Foord, Kerr, Fowler, Gorry, Yallop, Carpenter and Vine in that order.
Losers for Australia were Cutley, goalkeeper Arnold and Hunt.
France desperate for a win brought in Sassuolo Goalkeeper, Solene Durand who has never featured at this tournament for Peyraud Magnin at the 123rd minute in the match that went to 126 minutes. The two coaches shook hands wishing each other best of luck before the penalty shootouts.
France scored 101st minute from a header of Wendie Renard off a corner kick that was not right in the first instance. Renard’s goal was rejected by the Ref because she had pulled down Foord to the turf to get the header. The ball had gone into touch before France brought it back into play and neither the VAR nor the match officials saw it.
The extremely tensed match was watched with 49,461 spectators at the main bowl of the Suncorp Stadium but unknown figure of tumultuous crowd were watching on screens in Fig Grove and Suncorp Stadium Gate G. Surely, they have more crowd than those who watched Australia versus France on July 14 this year.
France played a goalless draw with Jamaica 23rd July; defeated Brazil 2-1 on the 29th of July and thrashed Panama 6-3 on 2nd August. France started their knockout stages with a 4-0 pounding of Morocco in the round of 16 matches.
Co-hosts Australia who was in Nigeria’s Group B piped Ireland 1-0 on 20th July; lost to Nigeria in a dramatic 2-3 game and suddenly pummeled Canada 4-0 on 1st August. Australia dented Denmark 2-0 in the round of 16 matches.
Australia is in her 5th knockout stage appearances at the world cup since 2007. She won only once 1-0 over Brazil at the R16 of 2015. She was eliminated at the R16 stage of the last competition in France 2019 losing to Norway on penalties. Australia registered their biggest win at the world cup in their last group B game against Canada 4-0. The team kept clean sheets in two of their three games.
France’s highest achievement was 4th at the German 2011 games when she lost the Bronze to Sweden 2-1; coming to the party for the 5th time, France made the quarterfinal two consecutive times now three times in 2015, and at hosting in 2019 but were sent off at the group stage in USA 2003.
Australia and France are meeting for the first time at the world cup. Records I do not have says Australia never lost to France when playing on home ground in all competitions winning three matches and drawing one with the most recent being played on 14th July 2023.
The Maltidas of Australia defeated the world no 5, France by a lone goal at the Marvel Stadium in Sydney on the eve of co-hosting the world cup14th July 2023 before a record crowd of 50,629 and with Herve Renard in charge of the French team. France had dominated the wins bashing the Aussies 6-0 on 11th October 2013; beating the country of kangaroos 2-1 on 16th June 2018 and lashing Australia 4-1 on 22nd November 2022.
This is the 3rd quarterfinals of Australia at the world cup after taking part at this stage in three editions 2007 and 2015. Australia lost each of the previous quarterfinals scoring three goals and conceding 7 in total. USA is the only host to have reached the semifinals in 1999 and 2003.
Australia will now meet winner of England versus Columbia on Wednesday 16th August at 1100 hours at Stadium Australia.
Sweden will meet Spain in the first semifinal on Tuesday 15th august at Eden Park in Auckland at 0900 hours.
We are still expecting the 4th quarterfinal at 1130 hours playing at Stadium Australia between Lionesses of England that defeated Nigeria and the Power-Puff girls of Columbia with Ref Mark Geiger of USA in charge.
Something unique is that we are expecting a new champion for the world as previous champions, four times winner USA; Two times winner, Germany; Japan and Norway that won one time each have been exited in this tournament.
By Eniola Olatunji
.
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola says Alexander Isak is a “massive” player for him – but adds he “fights” with the player about needing to do more for the “collective”.
Isak scored twice in the opening nine minutes in the 2-0 win over Ipswich to take his tally to three for the season – but Iraola hinted the player needs to do more off the ball for the team.
“He’s a massive player for us,” he told Sky Sports. “My demands will not be about the goals: he’s fit, in a good shape and he will produce the numbers.
“But my fights with him are more about other stuff, how to help the team in other situations. But it’s good he has played two full games and today a good amount of minutes, scoring the goals.”
Iraola did not reveal which specific areas Isak needs to improve, but it could be interpreted that Iraola wants his striker to do more in the pressing.
“I will demand other things so we can play well,” he said in his post-match press conference about those demands to Isak. “And if we play well, we are in good positions, the goals will come.
“He has to contribute to the collective and when everyone helps, after the goals and results will come.”
Iraola also said to Sky: “Today we were much, much better in our press. We were recovering very high and then we can contact him in good positions.
“If we recover the ball lower, it will be more difficult to find him to have less spaces. So we need more quality effort to put our No 9 in situations like he had today.”
Aryna Sabalenka briefly halted her US Open match against Kamilla Rakhimova because of a strong smell of cannabis before cruising into the fourth round in New York.
Top seed Sabalenka raised the issue after going 3-0 up in the first set against Uzbekistan’s Rakhimova, telling umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore that “someone is smoking weed”.
The Belarusian asked the umpire to intervene “because it’s so strong”.
Asderaki-Moore spoke to an official on her radio and made a smoking gesture to someone behind her, before play continued.
Two-time defending champion Sabalenka went on to secure a confident 6-3 6-4 victory on Louis Armstrong Stadium as she chases a fifth Grand Slam singles title.
Sabalenka said afterwards she was not sure where the smell of cannabis was coming from but asked fans to be more mindful.
Smoking is not permitted on site at Flushing Meadows but the smell of cannabis sometimes wafts on to court from the nearby Corona Park.
It is legal to smoke it in New York for adults aged 21 and over.
“It’s a bit tricky to handle that smell while you’re trying to compete at your best,” Sabalenka said.
“I don’t know if it was coming from the crowd or was from the outside because the wind blows it into the stadium.
“I just hope they’re going to be a bit more aware of that stuff.”
Sabalenka is not the first player at this year’s US Open to complain about the smell of cannabis at Flushing Meadows.
Britain’s Katie Boulter previously said it was distracting, while Harriet Dart and Francesca Jones also noticed the smell.
In past years players including Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev have also complained.
Egyptian football star Mohamed Salah has welcomed his third child and first son, named Lail, Trabzonspor President Ertuğrul Doğan said after the Turkish club’s third-round league match against Amedspor.
Doğan said Salah and his Cameroonian teammate André Onana travelled outside Turkey following the match as their wives were due to give birth.
“After the Amed match, we travelled abroad with Onana and Salah. Onana welcomed twins, while Salah welcomed a baby boy. I congratulate their families and wives,” Doğan was quoted as telling Turkish media.
Salah’s sister, Rabab Salah, later revealed the baby’s name on Instagram, posting a photograph of a baby hat and congratulating her brother on the birth of Lail.
The child is Salah’s first son. The Egyptian star and his wife, Magi, already have two daughters, Makka and Kayan.
Doğan’s comments came after a photograph of Salah and Onana aboard a private jet circulated online, prompting questions among Trabzonspor supporters and local media about the reason for their trip.
The club president said both players had travelled for family reasons following the match.
-
Health & Wellness1 year agoPresident Tinubu Directs Cut in Dialysis Cost from ₦50,000 to ₦12,000
-
News1 year agoPICTURE: In Lagos Couple Sentenced to 22½ Years for Cannabis Trafficking
-
Business5 months agoDangote Refinery Reduces Petrol Gantry Price To ₦1,200 Per Litre
-
Trending News1 year agoNELFUND Disburses ₦86bn To 449,000 Beneficiaries
-
Business2 years agoHeritage Bank Customers’ Path to Securing ₦5m Insured Funds: A Step-By-Step Guide by NDIC”
-
Business2 years ago
Dangote; We Did Not Fix ₦600/Litre Petrol Price
-
International News5 months agoIndian Police Arrest Nigerian Over ₦290m Drug Haul
-
Business5 months agoAfter Plea Bargain, Court Discharges Stella Oduah of ₦2.5bn Fraud