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      Neymar shares private WhatsApp messages from Brazil team-mates without their permission after World Cup KO

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      NEYMAR has shared private WhatsApp messages from his Brazil team-mates “without their permission” to show the team’s devastation at their World Cup KO.Brazil were the pre-tournament favourites to win in Qatar, and turned in strong displays in the group stages and the round of 16.
      Neymar was left heartbroken in what could be his final World CupCredit: Getty
      The brazil star shared the messages from team-matesCredit: Instagram
      Neymar tried to lift Rodrygo’s spiritsCredit: Instagram
      Silva, who has won pretty much everything in the game, says missing out on a World Cup hurts the mostCredit: Instagram
      A thumping 4-1 win over South Korea, in particular, reinforced in many people’s minds that Brazil were world champions in waiting.
      However, they crashed out in the quarter-finals to 2018 finalists Croatia on penalties.
      Neymar opened the scoring in extra-time with a wonderful finish, but his strike was cancelled out by Bruno Petkovic minutes before full-time.
      Croatia won the penalty shootout 4-2 with all four of their takers scoring.
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      However, two missed for Brazil, including Neymar’s Paris Saint-Germain captain Marquinhos, who hit the post.
      Now, Neymar has shared several of his WhatsApp conversations with his team-mates on his social media platform.
      The 30-year-old wrote: “I decided to expose (without their permission) the messages to see how much we wanted to win and how united we were.
      “These were some of the many messages I exchanged with the group.
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      “We are feeling very sad, but we have to be stronger to keep going and I am I’m sure that, with the support of all the fans, we’ll come back stronger.
      “I’m Brazilian with a lot of pride, with a lot of love!”
      To close pal Marquinhos on his penalty miss, Neymar said: “A penalty will not change what I think of you.”
      Marquinhos replied: “I really wanted everything to go well. But you have to be strong, give it time and see what football has in store for us.”
      Chelsea defender Thiago Silva, 38, has won pretty much everything there is to win in football.
      Eight league titles across Italy and France, 18 domestic cups, a Champions League and a Copa America.
      But bowing out of the World Cup – expected to be his last – makes Silva tearful.
      Neymar told Silva: “I really wanted to give you this Cup.”
      Silva replied: “Brother, it’s more f***** up than I imagined, really. I can’t stand it. I can’t believe we lost. I can’t believe it.
      “Every time I remember it makes me want to cry.”
      Neymar also tried to lift the spirits of Rodrygo, who missed in the penalty shootout.
      The Real Madrid ace took one before Neymar, who was picked as Brazil’s fifth penalty taker and never got to take one.
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      In response to Rodrygo apologising, Neymar insisted: “I’m sorry… no.
      “Are you crazy? Only those who hit the penalties miss them and you are an ace.”
      Richarlison was Brazil’s top scorer More

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      England’s blunder ref Wilton Sampaio could take charge of World Cup FINAL despite shocking France display

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      BLUNDERING Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio could be in charge of the World Cup FINAL.The 40-year-old sparked outrage for his performance in England’s quarter-final defeat to France.
      Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio, who was in charge of England’s defeat to France, could take charge of the World Cup finalCredit: PA
      England were incensed by Sampaio on Saturday nightCredit: Getty
      Sampaio has been RETAINED by Fifa for the final week of the tournament with Brazil knocked out, according to The Telegraph.
      That means he could take charge of the final on Sunday.
      There are just two semi-finals, Argentina vs Croatia and France vs Morocco, plus the third-place play-off and the final left to play.
      Sampaio is still in Qatar alongside Premier League ref Anthony Taylor, but Michael Oliver has been sent home.
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      The Brazilian ref denied Harry Kane a first-half penalty on Saturday, despite the England skipper clearly being tripped by French defender Dayot Upamecano.
      Upamecano then appeared to foul Bukayo Saka in the build up to France’s opening goal.
      He did give England a penalty when Saka was fouled by Aurelien Tchouameni, but needed the help of VAR to spot a blatant shove on Mason Mount by Theo Hernandez for the second spot-kick.
      After nestling his first penalty into the back of the net, Kane skied his second effort over the bar.
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      Pranksters changed Sampaio’s Wikipedia page after his display on Saturday night.
      While former England defender Gary Neville labelled the ref a “joke”.
      He said on ITV: “The referee had a nightmare game, an absolute joke of a referee.
      “I’m not saying that was all down to England’s defeat because that’s making excuses, he was just a bad referee, rank bad.”
      And Three Lions defender Harry Maguire said: “I can’t really explain his performance, the amount of decisions he got wrong was actually incredible. Really poor.” More

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      France vs Morocco bonus: Get money back as CASH if you lose, plus 141-1 tips, preview and prediction – 18+ T&Cs

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      Paddy Power are offering punters up to £20 back as cash if their bet losesCredit: GETTY
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      Morocco return to the scene of their opening World Cup game, where they secured a 0-0 draw with Croatia.
      And a win over France at the Al Bayt Stadium would see them face the Croatians or Argentina in the World Cup final this weekend.
      Morocco secured their place in African history when becoming the first side to reach the last four, knocking out Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the quarter finals.
      Added to that wins over Belgium and Canada in the group and dumping out Spain in the last 16, they’re a force to be reckoned with.
      And it’s likely they’ll have the English support behind them too, with France having dumped Gareth Southgate’s men out in the last eight.
      France go into this game as strong favourites to progress, and favourites to win the whole thing.
      All the talk before the game against the Three Lions was about Kylian Mbappe and keeping him quiet. Although that was mastered, the other forward players did the damage.
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      Morocco will look to channel what England did to stifle the PSG man, with team-mate Achraf Hakimi his direct opponent on Wednesday night.
      Though defending has been Morocco’s strong point, with an own goal in the 2-1 win over Canada the only blemish on their record – more impressive with the quality of sides they have faced.
      But France are a different animal, despite having conceded in every game they have played.
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      I’m a time-travelling World Cup fan – I know how far Morocco REALLY go in the tournament after beating Portugal

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      A MAJOR World Cup upset is about to happen when Morocco play France – if a self-proclaimed time traveller is to be believed.The two sides are due to meet in a semi-final showdown on Wednesday with a place in Sunday’s final at stake.
      Jubilant Morocco fans after their historic ‘win’
      Their fans going wild after the historic victory
      France by contrast are despondent after their defeat
      World champions France are firm favourites after putting out England on Saturday night while Morocco stunned Portugal.
      But Morocco have won the hearts of the neutrals after they became the first African nation to reach the semi-final stage.
      And it seems the Atlas Lions are also the time traveller’s favourites as well.
      In a bonkers TikTok video fifatime_traveller shows footage from the future claiming to show what happens.
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      “I’m a time traveller and Morocco beats France!!!” says the crazy quantum leaper.
      Moroccan players are seen celebrating their ‘winning goal’ in front their jubilant fans as footage cuts to the despondent French team and their sobbing supporters.

      Judging the comments it seems as if some people aren’t taking the claim too seriously.
      “I’m a time traveler too, but this goal was disallowed, and France wins on penalties,” read one.
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      We previously told how a so-called time traveller claimed to know which two nations will battle it out in the World Cup final.
      Sharing footage which they claimed was taken two weeks in the future, the TikToker said Argentina will triumph over Brazil.
      Another ridiculously insisted that England and Portugal will face each other in the finals.
      And this TikToker alleged that Brazil and France would actually be the ones competing for the trophy. More

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      Lionel Messi dethrones Kylian Mbappe to become Dream Team World Cup’s top star with third Star Man award

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      IF you come for the king, you best not miss.After the round of 16, Kylian Mbappe was Dream Team World Cup’s outright best player by a comfortable margin.
      Having raced out in front in the Golden Boot race, the 23-year-old had 48 points to his name heading into his quarter-final against England, a full 12 points ahead of his closest rival, Lionel Messi.
      Given the 12-year age difference between the two forwards, the dynamic felt like a continuation of a theme that has dictated the last few years: a passing of the torch from one generational talent to another.
      And while it seems inevitable that Mbappe will indisputably hold the crown of world’s best player some time soon (if he doesn’t already) Messi is raging against the dying of the light in Qatar.
      Messi isn’t giving up the crown easilyCredit: getty
      And in fact, the balance of power between the two global superstars was readdressed during the quarter-finals, as evidenced by the Dream Team World Cup rankings.
      Les Bleus edged out Gareth Southgate’s men but their No10 had a relatively quiet game, registering a blank.
      Whereas Argentina once again leaned on their captain to squeeze out Netherlands.
      In a game rammed full of needle of ill-will, some genuine football occasionally broke out and one of the highlights was Messi’s inch-perfect disguised pass to assist Nahuel Molina.
      The Albiceleste’s legendary No10 scored a second-half penalty and converted a spot-kick during the shootout to book his place in the semi-finals.
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      When all was said and done, Messi banked 14 points to take his overall tally to 50, meaning he reclaimed his throne from Mbappe to become the game’s top asset.
      Mbappe blanked against England
      The 35-year-old is the only man to have earned three Star Man awards at this late stage of the tournament – class really is permanent.
      It should go without saying that all Dream Team World Cup gaffers would probably be wise to back both to thrive once more in the semis.
      The pair come at an eye-watering cost of £15million but with a combined points total of 98 they’ve justified their price tags twice over.
      On paper, Argentina and France are favourites to meet in the final but only a fool would underestimate Croatia or Morocco at this stage.
      Still, Messi and Mbappe have nine goals and four assists between them in Qatar so the underdogs will be thoroughly up against it in midweek.
      Friendly rivalsCredit: getty
      The battle for supremacy in Dream Team World Cup is set to go down to the wire as even if one of the front-runners gets through to the final and the other doesn’t, the latter will have the third-place play-off to fulfil.
      Another PSG star, Achraf Hakimi, is the next-best performer still active at the tournament but he’s 14 points short of Mbappe’s total currently – realistically it’s a two-horse race for top spot.
      Mbappe will also be looking over his shoulder in the Golden Boot hunt – Messi and Olivier Giroud have four goals each to the young whippersnapper’s five. More

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      How Argentina and Croatia could line up in huge World Cup semi-final as Lionel Messi and Co look to reach historic final

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      ARGENTINA face Croatia knowing the winner will play in Sunday’s World Cup final.The two international heavyweights face off in the semi-final at 7pm on Tuesday.

      Lionel Messi is just two wins away from ending his long wait to land the World Cup – the final trophy missing from his incredible collection.
      But standing in his way are an experienced Croatia side hoping to go one better than in Russia in 2018 – when they lost to France in Moscow.
      So how will Lionel Scaloni and Zlatko Dalic line their sides up for the mouthwatering semi-final at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
      Firstly, Argentina will start with Emi Martinez in goal following his heroics in the shootout against the Netherlands.
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      La Albiceleste may stick with a back five – but Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel are unavailable after picking up yellow cards in the fiesty quarter-final.
      That means it could be a back five of Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Lisandro Martinez and Nicolas Tagliafico.
      In front of them, Scaloni may well stick with his midfield three of Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister, especially if Angel Di Maria is still not fully fit.
      Up front, it will likely be Julian Alvarez partnering Messi up front rather than Lautaro Martinez.
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      Di Maria came off the bench against Louis van Gaal’s side on Friday night – if he is ready to start, it could mean a switch to a four-man defence.
      For Croatia, they have their own penalty specialist in goal with Dominik Livakovic hoping to continue his sublime form that helped his side knock out Brazil.
      The Vatreni have no injury concerns or suspensions so could name an unchanged side from the shootout win on Friday.

      However, one switch could see Bruno Petkovic rewarded for his late equaliser with a place in the starting XI – replacing Andrej Kramaric up front.
      That would therefore see a back four of Josip Juranovic, Dejan Lovren, Josko Gvardiol and Borna Sosa, who came back in for the Brazil clash.
      In front of them will be the experienced trio of captain Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic in midfield with Mario Pasalic and Ivan Perisic either side of Petkovic in attack.
      The winners on Tuesday night will face either France or Morocco back in Lusail on Sunday as they battle it out for biggest prize in football.
      Lionel Messi and Emiliano Martinez will start for Argentina in the World Cup semi-finalCredit: Getty
      Bruno Petkovic could join Josko Gvardiol and Luka Modric in the starting XICredit: Getty More

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      Ferdinand says England boss Gareth Southgate ‘let us DOWN’ with ‘reactive, not proactive’ subs in France World Cup loss

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      RIO FERDINAND has criticised Gareth Southgate for not being proactive with his substitutions against France.The former England defender claimed Southgate let down the fans by being too reactive in the 2-1 quarter-final defeat.
      Rio Ferdinand slammed Gareth Southgate for being too reactiveCredit: Getty
      Southgate made all four substitutions after France’s second goalCredit: Getty
      Ferdinand pointed to players like Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish as subs who could have impacted the match.
      But the pair were brought on with England trailing – Grealish given just two minutes in injury time to try to make a difference.
      In fact, all four of Southgate’s subs were made after Olivier Giroud’s winner, and Ferdinand feels the Three Lions boss left it too late.
      He said on his Vibe with Five podcast: “Our [England’s] substitutions is where I think Gareth Southgate let us down.
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      “I think he’s been pitch-perfect, touch-perfect in almost every decision he’s made up to this point, but you get into a game like yesterday where this is really where it matters now, and I think Gareth Southgate came up short in the tactical element in terms of substitutions.
      “That’s part of tactics, making substitutions, and in-game management and deciding games with substitutions at the business end of a tournament, I think he would hold his hands up maybe in retrospect
      “Gareth, in the moment, wasn’t proactive with his substitutions, he was reactive.
      “It hit 1-1 and we’re sitting there going ‘take the bull by the horns, make a substitution, get us on the front foot’. You’ve got Rashford, you’ve got Grealish who can go on, get us on the front foot and change this game.
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      “You’re sitting there going, ‘It’s too late, man’. You’ve got to do this when we’ve got the chance of still winning this game and taking the game from them.”
      France’s win sets up a semi-final clash against Morocco on Wednesday, with the winner taking on Argentina or Croatia in the final on Sunday. More

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      Michael Oliver sent home by Fifa from World Cup but Anthony Taylor still in Qatar after England’s tournament KO

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      PREMIER LEAGUE referee Michael Oliver has been sent home from Qatar by Fifa.But Anthony Taylor could be in charge for the World Cup final on Sunday.
      Michael Oliver is reported to have been sent home from QatarCredit: Reuters
      Anthony Taylor is still at the World Cup after England were knocked outCredit: Getty
      Northumberland born Oliver, 37, was in the middle for Brazil’s penalty shootout defeat to Croatia.
      But he hasn’t been retained for the final week of the tournament despite England being knocked out, according to The Telegraph.
      As well as Brazil’s quarter-final exit, Oliver took charge of Costa Rica’s 1-0 win over Japan and Mexico’s 2-1 victory against Saudi Arabia in the group stages.
      Meanwhile fellow Prem whistler Taylor, 44, is reported to still be in Qatar.
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      The Manchester born ref is in with a chance of overseeing one of the four games remaining.
      There are just two semi-finals, Argentina vs Croatia and France vs Morocco, plus the third-place play-off and the final left to play.
      Taylor has been retained alongside his assistants Adam Nunn and Gary Beswick.
      He could become the first English official to referee a World Cup final since Howard Webb in 2010.
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      Taylor is yet to take charge of a knockout game in the current tournament.
      He reffed Ghana’s dramatic 3-2 win over South Korea in the group stages, as well as Belgium’s 0-0 draw with Croatia.
      Taylor has dished out just five yellow cards in his two games, and a red to South Korea boss Paulo Bento.
      Oliver on the other hand brandished 18 yellows in his three games at the tournament.
      Elsewhere, the Brazilian referee in charge of England’s quarter-final defeat to France could be in the middle for the final.
      Wilton Sampaio, who was slammed for his performance, has reportedly been kept on in Qatar with Brazil out of the tournament.
      Brazilian ref Wilton Sampaio could referee the World Cup finalCredit: Getty More