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      I wouldn’t swap England squad for France’s.. and Walker is perfect man to stop Mbappe in World Cup clash, says Redknapp

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      IF I had to pick one defender in the world to handle Kylian Mbappe, I could not think of a better right-back than Kyle Walker.And he might just turn out to be the one who holds the key to England reaching their second World Cup semi-final in a row.
      Redknapp is backing Walker to ‘handle’ MbappeCredit: Getty
      Mbappe is the World Cup 2022 top scorer with five goalsCredit: Getty
      It doesn’t take a genius to realise that Mbappe is the biggest danger to our chances when we play France on Saturday.
      You need someone special to deal with a player like that — and Kyle is the perfect man for the job.
      I know exactly how good he is because I was his manager for three years at Tottenham. He’s an even better player now.
      He’s quick, strong and as tough a man to beat one-on-one as anyone. In short, the ideal man to cope with Mbappe’s speed and power.
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      But Walker might just be England’s secret attacking weapon down the right wing as well — if he chooses the right moments to bomb forward.
      Mbappe is obviously a massive threat, we all know that, but he’s not a modern wide player who you’ll see charging back to help his defence.
      When he loses possession he tends to walk around, hang about the halfway line waiting for France to win it back and get it up to him again.
      As a right-back, that leaves you with a decision to make — can I trust my winger if I do go or am I risking getting caught out of position if he gives it away?
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      Walker’s touch map against Senegal
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      Well in Walker’s case, when the moment is right he definitely CAN trust Bukayo Saka, because he’s such a clever player.
      If you’ve got a scatterbrain up there, you worry about going on the overlap because if they lose possession, you’re going to get punished by someone as good as Mbappe.
      But Saka’s a good player, he knows how to protect the ball and find Kyle at just the right time — and that’s how we can open France up down the right-hand side.
      So while the big danger lies down Mbappe’s flank, it’s an area where we can hurt France as much as they can hurt us.
      Kyle just has to choose the right time to go, probably only a couple of times in each half, but we will get chances from it — and they could be the difference.
      That’s when it will be vital Jordan Henderson is aware and realise that if Walker’s gone, he must be prepared to drop in and cover.
      I see it very much as a 50-50 game but I tell you one thing — I genuinely wouldn’t swap our squad for theirs.
      And while everyone in England seems to be worrying about Mbappe, they’ll be doing the same about Harry Kane. I’m sure France defender Rafael Varane is.
      Harry’s had a bit of criticism from some but against Senegal he was absolutely fantastic, linking play and bringing people into it.
      Getting his first goal will give him a big boost — not that he’s ever short of confidence — and he’ll be bang up for this.
      Kane looks right on top of his game again and we’ve seen what he can do at a World Cup when that’s the case.
      Saka and Phil Foden will always be threats whoever they’re up against, while I look at the strength on the bench and just think, ‘Wow’.
      Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish, Mason Mount . . . the talent we’ve got to bring on is better than anyone’s.
      And then of course there is Jude Bellingham, who is already a phenomenal player and having such a great tournament.
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      To me it’s a really good squad, so why shouldn’t we go all the way this time?
      First things first, though, let’s beat France — then we really can start to dream.
      England are averaging 65 per cent possession in Qatar More

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      Why did Cristiano Ronaldo not start for Portugal in their World Cup last-16 tie against Switzerland?

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      CRISTIANO RONALDO is one of the most famous players in the history of football and arguably the most famous person in the world.He has scored eight goals in 20 World Cup matches and holds the world record for international goals scored.
      Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring for Portugal against Ghana in the group stagesCredit: Getty
      Over 20 years, his record has been simply stunning.
      Therefore it was a surprise that he was not in the Portugal team for their last-16 World Cup tie against Switzerland.
      However, the decision by Fernando Santos to bench Ronaldo was fully vindicated – as they went on to win 6-1, with the striker coming on with 17 minutes of normal time to go.
      He had started all three of Portugal’s World Cup group games previously and will be in contention for their quarter-final against Morocco.
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      Why didn’t Cristiano Ronaldo start against Switzerland?
      The Portuguese icon, 37, was dropped for their game against Switzerland.
      Fernando Santos has opted to go with Benfica forward Goncalo Ramos, 21, instead.
      Incredibly, Ramos went on to score a stunning hat-trick for Portugal.
      It meant Ronaldo found himself on the bench again, a place he got all-too familiar with for Manchester United earlier this season.
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      That is, before he and the club mutually agreed to tear up his contract.
      Perhaps Santos was hedging his bets, knowing that if the tie went to extra time and penalties, it would have been more useful having Ronaldo come off the bench and score a penalty.

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      Morocco vs Portugal: Stream FREE, TV channel, team news and kick-off time for big World Cup quarter-final

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      PORTUGAL will certainly fancy their chances as they face Morocco in the quarter-finals of the World Cup. The North African side were epic in their penalty shootout win over Spain, having conceded just once all tournament.
      Achraf Hakimi dinked his side into the World Cup quarter-finalsCredit: AP
      Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick for Portugal against SwitzerlandCredit: Getty
      But Portugal are in top form after thrashing Switzerland 6-1 in the last of the round of 16 clashes.
      Goncalo Ramos scored a brilliant hat-trick after coming into the XI for Cristiano Ronaldo.
      But they can’t get too complacent against Morocco, who have the likes of Achraf Hakimi, Hakim Ziyech and Sofiane Boufal in their ranks.
      When is Morocco vs Portugal?

      Portugal’s clash with Morocco will take place on Saturday, December 10.
      The game will be held at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha.
      Portugal vs Morocco will get underway from 3pm GMT.

      What channel is it and can it be live streamed?

      Morocco vs Portugal will be shown live on ITV 1 in the UK.
      You can live stream the action from the ITV X app, which is available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.
      Coverage of the game will get going from 2pm UK time.

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      Can I watch for FREE?
      Yes, you can watch Morocco vs Portugal for FREE, so long as you have a valid TV licence.
      Odds

      Morocco – 5/1
      Draw – 11/4
      Portugal – 4/7

      *Odds courtesy of Betfair and correct at time of publication More

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      Chesney Hawkes aiming to give England’s World Cup rivals France the hump — by belting out The One and Only on a camel

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      LUCKY mascot Chesney Hawkes aims to give World Cup rivals France the hump — by belting out The One and Only on a camel.And the One and Only singer went further by declaring: “I’m going to stick my neck out and say that England are going to win.
      England’s lucky mascot Chesney Hawkes aims to give World Cup rivals France the hump — by belting out The One and Only on a camelCredit: Dan Charity
      Chesney was adopted by the England players as their lucky mascot after performing his 1991 hit during half-time of the final Group B clash with WalesCredit: The Sun
      As well as entertaining locals outside Qatar capital Doha, 51-year-old Chesney showed off his football skills on top of 200ft-high sand dunesCredit: Dan Charity
      “It won’t be easy as the French are a very good team, but so are we. Come on England!”
      As well as entertaining locals outside Qatar capital Doha, 51-year-old Chesney showed off his football skills on top of 200ft-high sand dunes.
      Camel owner Ali Hussein, 32, said: “Chesney is a great guy. He can come and ride my camel again any time he wants.
      “I hope England win on Saturday and go on to win the whole tournament.”
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      Chesney was adopted by the England players as their lucky mascot after performing a rousing rendition of his 1991 hit during half-time of the final Group B clash with Wales — heralding a 3-0 second-half thrashing.
      The Sun then ensured he got to the Senegal game.
      Now he wants tournament bosses to allow him a repeat performance against France.
      Fifa insist a French singer would have to be found too.
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      Raheem Sterling still deciding if he will return to World Cup as cops probe if same gang robbed three of his teammates

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      RAHEEM Sterling was yesterday still deciding if he will return to Qatar – as cops were probing if the same gang behind his break in also robbed three of his teammates.The Three Lions ace was left distraught when his fiance Paige, 27, returned home with their three children on Saturday night and found his mansion in Oxshott, Surrey, had been broken into and £300K of watches and jewellery stolen.
      Raheem, seen here with his fiancée Paige, is still deciding whether to return to Qatar for the World CupCredit: Getty – Contributor
      The horrific raid took place on Saturday night – less than 24 hours before England’s clash against Senegal – pictured Sterling with Bukayo SakaCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      The 27-year-old winger wants to return to the tournament to help manager Gareth Southgate but he and his family are still shaken up following the burglary, The Sun understands.
      Now Surrey Police are examining whether the same gang are responsible for other raids in the last two years on Chelsea stars who all live within a five mile radius of each other.
      Defender Reece James – who would have been in Qatar but for injury – was raided by a gang who targeted his home in Cobham, Surrey, in September 2021.
      They stole his safe containing his Champions League, Super Cup and Euro 2020 medals.
      READ MORE ON RAHEEM STERLING
      Two other teammates have also suffered similar crimes in recent months, with cops looking into any potential links.
      A source said: “Whenever high value raids take place, police officers will also look to see if there are any similarities.
      “Did they break in the same way? Did they use the same car to getaway? Did they steal similar items in each robbery? These are all questions they will ask.”
      Yesterday security was being beefed up outside the homes of all England stars playing in the World Cup, at the request of manager Gareth Southgate.
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      A source said: “Gareth has asked the FA to do whatever it takes to make the players feel safe. He wants them to be confident their families are looked after so they can fully focus on the quarter final against France.”
      Leicester ace James Maddison is among those who have improved security.
      Speaking from Qatar, the England midfielder said: “Raheem’s a brilliant guy and a brilliant character in the group. We’ve all sent him a message to make sure he’s okay at this time.
      A security patrol is seen at Raheem Sterling’s home in SurreyCredit: LNP
      “It’s obviously difficult. It’s not nice and something I wouldn’t wish upon anyone. As a young man with a family of my own, it’s horrible to see stuff like that happen, but it does happen. You do have to take those measures. It’s just the world we live in, unfortunately.”
      England play France in the quarter-finals on Saturday. More

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      Watch hilarious moment Morocco star tackles his OWN team-mate before incredible World Cup shootout win over Spain

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      MOROCCO star Yahia Attiyat Allah accidentally tackled team-mate Abde Ezzalzouli during their win over Spain.Towards the end of extra-time Morocco enjoyed a rare attack with Ezzalzouli attempting a one-two with a team-mate.
      Yahia Attiyat Allah and Abde Ezzalzouli both went for the same ball
      They both ended up on the turf after Ezzalzouli landed on Allah’s leg after pushing him over
      But the ball was passed out to the left-flank in the direction of Allah who tried to cross the ball.
      However Ezzalzouli got to the ball first and shrugged his team-mate out of the way, causing Allah to fall to the floor.
      Unfortunately for the pair Ezzalzouli stepped on Allah’s leg as he tried to continue running, and that led him to collapse to the ground in a heap too.
      Spain regained possession as fans took to social media to share their amusement at the incident.
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      One wrote: “If I can’t tackle them I will tackle you. BOOM!!.”
      Another added: “The f*** are they doing?
      And a third said: “The funniest thing was that they both got up doing that gesture to the ref like “where’s the whistle?”
      Morocco had the last laugh however as they defeated Spain 3-0 on penalties.
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      Achraf Hakimi scored a delightful spot-kick to send his side through after Spain failed to convert a single penalty.
      Pablo Sarabia, Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets all missed for Spain despite manager Luis Enrique instructing his players to each take 1,000 penalties before the World Cup. More

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      Portugal 6 Switzerland 1: Goncalo Ramos scores sensational hat-trick after Cristiano Ronaldo axe to reach quarter-finals

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      IT had been a seriously ballsy call from Portugal boss Fernando Santos.By benching Cristiano Ronaldo, he was risking tantrums, accusations of disrespect and the prospect of a bombshell interview with whoever the Portuguese Piers Morgan might be. 
      Goncalo Ramos’ treble fired Portugal to the World Cup quartersCredit: Getty
      Ramos filled Cristiano Ronaldo’s boots well in a 6-1 win over SwitzerlandCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      And yet, just as Erik Ten Hag has found at Manchester United, dropping Ronaldo can be a thoroughly invigorating course of action for any team these days. 
      Santos replaced his stroppy old Galactico with 21-year-old Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos – then saw the inexperienced youngster bag a magnificent hat-trick to set up a World Cup quarter-final against Morocco. 
      Ramos – remember the name and crank up those Premier League transfer rumours – thundered an early opener, added a sharp second to kill off the game and added a saucy third for the first treble of this World Cup on his first international start. 
      With the five-time Ballon d’Or winner sacked by United and seemingly on his way to Saudi club Al-Nassr, it begged the question – ‘will we ever see him start an elite game of football again?’   
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      Ramos’ stats against Switzerland
      Ronaldo, at his fifth World Cup, has never scored in the knock-out stage but his understudy did so within an extraordinary finish after just 17 minutes.
      Portugal looked a far better side without their fading diva – just as United did when Ten Hag dropped him after a 4-0 mauling at Brentford in August.
      And Santos clearly has a gem in Ramos, while Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix was also outstanding. 
      By the time Ronaldo arrived as a sub – to the shrillest cheer of the night in the Lusail Stadium – Portugal were long since home and hosed. 
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      Ramos saw plenty of action against Switzerland
      Ramos opened the scoring for Portugal after just 17 minutesCredit: Getty
      Pepe soon doubled his side’s lead against the SwissCredit: PA
      At least Ronaldo didn’t refuse to come off the bench to see out the game, as he had done when United defeated Tottenham earlier this season, before those egotistical rantings to Morgan saw his contract torn up.
      But Portugal are serious contenders to win the tournament at this stadium on Sunday week and will certainly be red-hot favourites to defeat the Moroccans this weekend.
      Switzerland were supposed to be cussed, obdurate opponents but the Portuguese tore them to ticker tape.      
      An hour or so before kick-off came the resounding double shock – Morocco defeating Spain on penalties, just as it was announced that Santos had benched Ronaldo. 
      It was the first time he had not started a meaningful tournament game for Portugal since he was a teenager at Euro 2004. 
      Portugal showed off a clinical edge
      Ramos fired in another just minutes into the second halfCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Raphael Guerreiro joined in the fun moments laterCredit: Reuters
      But after he had thrown a strop when substituted in the final group game against South Korea, there had been widespread support back home for such a move and Ramos got the nod. 
      Rather than the expected sulky face, Ronaldo smiled for the cameras during the national anthems – and soon he was painting on that grin for a series of Portuguese goals.
      The early tempo was soporific, a frankly-weird crowd already resorting to Mexican waves and Icelandic thunderclaps – and then, out of nowhere, ‘wallop’.
      Raphael Guerreiro took a throw-in, Felix swivelled and fed Ramos down the inside-left channel, the youngster turned Fabian Schar and leathered into the roof of the net, beating Yann Sommer at his near post from a seemingly impossible angle. 
      Ramos might have had a second soon after – released by a delicious Felix pass, he created space against Schar but shot straight at Sommer. 
      Switzerland quickly pulled one back through Manuel AkanjiCredit: Reuters
      Ramos put the result beyond doubt as he completed his hat-trick in the 67th minuteCredit: Reuters
      But on 34 minutes, Portugal doubled their lead when the old rogue Pepe met a corner with a fantastic leap above Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji and thudded home his header. 
      The former Real Madrid defender will be 40 in February but nobody was doubting the spring in his step. 
      There was a scare for the Portuguese soon after when keeper Diogo Costa flapped at a low cross and a Remo Freuler effort was hacked away from the line by Diogo Dalot.
      Ramos had a shot pushed away by a fully-stretched Sommer but soon after the break, he had his second.
      Dalot skewered Ruben Vargas and centred low for Ramos to pounce at the near post with a crisp finish. 
      Portugal were rampant and, almost immediately, it was four – this time with Ramos as the provider. 
      Felix threaded him a pass and Ramos pirouetted round his marker and fed Guerreiro, who thundered his shot into the roof of the net.  
      Rafael Leao came off the bench to score at the deathCredit: Reuters
      Impressive Portugal will play Morocco in the quartersCredit: Getty
      There was another ‘assist’ for Ramos soon after when he inadvertently flicked on a Xherdan Shaqiri corner for Akanji to pull one back for the Swiss, poking home at the far post. 
      Ramos hardly needed to make amends for this, but he did so anyway.
      From another artful Felix ball, Ramos actually took a poor first touch but his second was a filthy little dink over Sommer for the hat-trick. 
      After that, the kid made way for Ronaldo and a crowd made up largely of locals and tourists performed a passable impression of peak Beatlemania. 
      Ronaldo soon sprinted through and fired into the net but was miles offside.
      Read More on The Sun
      And it was another sub, Rafael Leao, who completed this gubbing with an eye-pleasing curler.  
      He is yesterday’s man. Portugal can win this thing without him.  More

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      ‘Materazzi might disagree’ – Fans in hysterics as ITV World Cup pundit Nigel de Jong says Zidane ‘left game gracefully’

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      BAFFLED fans were left in stitches as Nigel de Jong claimed Zinedine Zidane left football “gracefully”.The former Dutch midfielder, 38, covered Portugal’s World Cup last-16 clash with Switzerland with ITV.
      Nigel De Jong claimed Zinedine Zidane bowed out of football “gracefully”Credit: ITV
      The Frenchman headbutted Marco Materazzi in his final appearance as a pro playerCredit: BBC
      But as the pundits discussed unemployed 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo being left on the bench, the conversation switched to the end of great players’ careers.
      And that prompted De Jong to reflect on the way Zidane bowed out.
      The ex-Manchester City man, runner-up with Holland in 2010, said: “You must go out in a gracious way.
      “We see it from legends of the past, like Zidane, they go out in a gracious way.”
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      But fans wasted no time in pointing out the final act of Zidane’s stunning career was in the 2006 World Cup final.
      The 1998 winner reacted to a comment from Italy’s Marco Materazzi and headbutted him in the chest – warranting a red card.
      One viewer said: “Nigel de Jong has just said that Zidane left the stage ‘in a gracious way’. Marco Materazzi might disagree.”
      Another wrote: “Nigel de Jong just said Zidane left the game gracefully. I suppose the headbutt did have a perfect flowing technique.”
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      A third added: “I’m sure Zidane head-butted someone on his way out.”
      And a final user commented: “Has De Jong really just said Zidane left in a gracious way? Could’ve sworn his last moment in football was smashing his head into someone’s chest.”
      Ronaldo was benched by Portugal boss Fernando Santos against Switzerland.
      It was unclear if the snub was due to his age, poor form or alleged comments when he was brought off against South Korea.
      But despite having a face of thunder before kick-off, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was outwardly smiling when his replacement Goncalo Ramos scored a sublime hat-trick.
      Nigel de Jong on Cristiano Ronaldo:🗣️ “You must go out in a gracious way. We see it from legends of the past, like Zidane, they go out in a gracious way.” Zinedine Zidane’s final game… pic.twitter.com/LJ8wK6vNO4— Dream Team (@dreamteamfc) December 6, 2022 More