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    Why is Son Heung-min wearing a mask during South Korea’s match against Brazil at World Cup 2022?

    SOUTH KOREA superstar Son Heung-min is in action for South Korea against Brazil at the World Cup.And he is sporting an item of kit fans will not have seen him in before.
    Son Heung-min wears a mask during South Korea’s World Cup opener against UruguayCredit: Getty
    The Tottenham Hotspur ace was almost ruled out of the huge Qatar tournament before confirming that he wouldn’t miss it ‘for the world’.
    Find out why the tricky winger has been forced to wear a mask below…
    Why is Son Heung-min wearing a mask?
    Son Heung-min is wearing a protective mask following a fractured eye socket he sustained in a Champions League win on November 1.
    Son suffered a fractured eye socket in a Champions League win over MarseilleCredit: Reuters
    Son was forced to come off early in the win against MarseilleCredit: Reuters
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    The Spurs star had a sickening collision with Marseille defender Chancel Mbemba’s shoulder.
    And as a result, Son required immediate attention, before coming off the field early where he then needed to undergo surgery a few days later.
    Thankfully for the South Korea captain, the surgery was a success and he was then called up to the Asian giants World Cup squad.
    What has Son Heung-min said?
    The Tottenham forward revealed how honoured he is to play for his country and that it will take a lot more than a fractured eye socket for him to miss the World Cup.
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    Son said: “Playing for your country at the World Cup is the dream of so many children growing up, just as it was one of mine too.
    “I won’t [miss] this for the world. I can’t wai to represent our beautiful country. See you soon. Sonny.”

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    How England lined up last time they played France at a tournament with just ONE squad member surviving

    ENGLAND’S line-up against France in Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final will be night and day away in ability and personnel from the two sides’ last competitive meeting,Only midfielder Jordan Henderson, 32, who was a late sub in the 1-1 group draw at Euro 2012 under Roy Hodgson, remains from that mediocre-looking squad.

    Liverpool workhorse Jordan Henderson is the sole survivor from the England squad who drew with France at Euro 2012, when he came on for Scott ParkerCredit: Getty
    Chelsea and England legends Ashley Cole and John Terry also took on France a decade ago before England exited the Euros in the last eightCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
    The Three Lions’ starters included surprise scorer Joleon Lescott, Scott Parker and Danny Welbeck.
    In fact, Ashley Cole, John Terry and Steven Gerrard were England’s only big names.
    Step forward a decade, and current boss Gareth Southgate has established stars like Harry Kane and Kyle Walker, plus three of the world’s hottest young talents in Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden.
    The Three Lions topped their Euro group in 2012 but both they and France crashed out in the quarter-finals.

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    It was the beginning of the end for the few players left from Sven Goran Eriksson’s “golden generation” early in the noughties.
    Now England will hope the World Cup in Qatar is the end of the beginning for an era where, finally, the squad’s individual talent could be matched by collective achievement.
    France too are much changed from ten years ago.
    Just Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud plus back-up keeper Steve Mandanda remain.
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    But strike legend Karim Benzema, 34, would be there had he not been injured.
    Overall, England have beaten France 17 times, drawn five and lost nine.
    The two European giants have met just twice since 2012 – in friendlies.

    Dele Alli cracked a 25-yard special on his full debut before Wayne Rooney completed a 2-0 Wembley victory in November 2015.
    That game was most notable for marking horrific attacks in Paris with a minute’s silence and more than 70,000 fans uniting to sing the French national anthem, La Marseillaise.
    Then in June 2017 France deservedly won 3-2, despite a double from Harry Kane.
    Here’s Roy Hodgson’s England’s squad from Euro 2012 as they drew 1-1 with France but lost to Italy on penaltiesCredit: AFP More

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    Meet Julian Alvarez’s PE teacher girlfriend Emilia Ferrero who is cheering Argentina & Man City star on at World Cup

    JULIAN ALVAREZ’S stunning girlfriend has promised him: “I’ll follow you wherever you ask me to,” in a declaration of love.And pretty PE teacher Emilia Ferrero followed up her pledge by posting a selfie of her kissing the Man City striker and telling him: “I love you,” as they reunited after Argentina made it through to the final 16.
    Emilia Ferrero is cheering on Argentina and boyfriend Julian AlvarezCredit: INSTAGRAM
    Emilia has 177,000 followers on InstagramCredit: INSTAGRAM
    Emilia hails from the same village as AlvarezCredit: INSTAGRAM
    She works as a PE teacherCredit: INSTAGRAM
    Alvarez in action for ArgentinaCredit: Getty
    Brunette Emilia showed their romance is running as smoothly as the South American country’s World Cup campaign following a day one stumble against Saudi Arabia with a series of romantic posts from the Middle East.
    The hockey player, who comes from the same village of Calchin in Cordoba as her former River Plate frontman boyfriend, is thought to have been first dated Alvarez briefly around five years ago before they resumed their relationship.
    But it is only since his move to Manchester ahead of this season that the pair went public with their romance.
    Emilia, whose full name is Maria Emilia Ferrero but uses her middle name as her first, posed for a selfie in an Argentinian top outside Qatar’s Lusail Stadium where Argentina played Mexico last Saturday.
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    She wrote in a message alongside the snap: “I will follow you wherever you ask me to.
    “I’m going to cheer you on for the rest of my life.”
    Overnight she posted photos of her planting a kiss on Julian’s cheek alongside her “Te Amo” message – English for “I Love You” and celebrating Argentina getting through their group stage with the footballer’s relatives.
    The Man City player, who scored a superb goal for his country during their World Cup win against Poland on Wednesday, responded to his girlfriend’s “I love you” message by replying in his own Instagram Story: “Me too my love.”
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    Alvarez appears to have cemented a spot in Lionel Scaloni’s starting line up after scoring against Mexico and then against Australia.
    The 22-year-old has scored seven goals in 20 games for Man City, seeing a big portion of his game time come off the bench or from wide positions due to the record-breaking exploits of Erling Haaland. More

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    ‘I have ZERO fear of France’ – Rio Ferdinand backs England to WIN World Cup and names only team who might stop them

    RIO FERDINAND has “ZERO amounts of fear for France” and has backed England to WIN the World Cup.Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions set up a quarter-final date with the current World Cup holders with a 3-0 win over African champions Senegal.
    Ferdinand has backed England to beat FranceCredit: BBC
    The Man Utd and England legend doesn’t fear the World Cup holdersCredit: Getty
    France play England next SaturdayCredit: Getty
    France held their nerve to run out 3-1 winners over round of 16 opponents Poland.
    But England legend Ferdinand said Southgate’s side “are the best team I’ve seen in my lifetime” on the BBC’s coverage of Croatia vs Japan, and has “ZERO amounts of fear for France”.
    The Manchester United legend has also backed England to win their second ever World Cup, ending 56 years of hurt.
    Ferdinand said on the FIVE YouTube channel: “I watched France play [Poland] before the England game and I had them down as one of my favourites.
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    “But they’ve got five first-team players missing so it’s a weakened France team.
    “Having watched that game, I hold zero amounts of fear for France. The only fear is Kylian Mbappe.

    “They didn’t show me anything yesterday, they rely on individuals. If England can contain Mbappe, I don’t see it being a problem against France.
    “England played against the African champions [Senegal] by the way. France beat Poland, who have been so poor in this tournament.
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    Mbappe is France’s main man
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    “England are the better team, 100 per cent. I think England are going to win the World Cup.”
    Ferdinand has, however, highlighted one team that can match England
    He continued: “The only team I think can go toe-to-toe with England is Brazil.
    “They’ve got the personality and the characters to do that. They’ve got hardened European players.
    “I see weaknesses all over the place in the other teams and I think England can physically dominate the other teams.”
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    Who is Morocco vs Spain referee Fernando Rapallini at World Cup 2022?

    ONE referee who has broken the mould at this year’s World Cup is South America’s finest.Fernando Rapallini is the first South American ever to preside over European Championship games after whistling at Euro 2020 last summer – and now he takes charge of Morocco vs Spain at the World Cup.
    Fernando Rapallini also took charge of Morocco’s game against Croatia at this World CupCredit: EPA
    Here’s all you need to know about him.
    Who is Fernando Rapallini?
    Fernando Rapallini was born in 1978 in La Plata, Argentina.
    He has been on the Fifa Referees List since 2014 and refereed his first international match, between Chile and El Salvador in June 2015.
    Recognised as one of South America’s best officials, Rapallini has refereed some of the biggest finals in his country and on the continent.
    These include the 2013 and 2018 Argentina Super Cups, the 2017 Argentina Cup final, the 2019 Argentina Super League Champions Trophy and the 2020 South American Recopa.
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    Why did Fernando Rapallini referee at Euro 2020?
    Fernando Rapallini was appointed as a Euro 2020 official as part of an exchange programme between Uefa and Conmebol.
    This programme saw Spanish referee Jesus Gil Manzano head in the other direction to take charge of Copa America games last summer.
    Uefa president Alexander Ceferin said: “The exchange of referees with CONMEBOL for our two flagship tournaments will enrich both competitions, and will enhance the experience of top referees.
    “Europe and South America have so much football quality and tradition, including in refereeing.
    “This exchange is a defining part of our cooperation programme, which will help us improve our competitions.”
    Conmebol president Alejandro Dominguez added: “Among our permanent objectives at CONMEBOL is making our referees more professional and perfectly trained for the use of technological tools.
    “We are convinced that a cooperation with UEFA in this field will greatly benefit both confederations. This is just the beginning.
    “We will continue working to broaden and strengthen collaboration agreements with our friends at UEFA.”

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    Neymar STARTS for Brazil vs South Korea in shock World Cup return after he was huge doubt to make last 16 clash

    NEYMAR has been named in Brazil’s starting line-up to face South Korea.There were big concerns the superstar would miss the rest of the World Cup after suffering an injury in his first game against Serbia.
    Neymar was all smiles in trainingCredit: AP
    Brazil made ten changes to the side that lost to Cameroon
    Neymar was forced off in the second half of that clash and he was in tears on the bench as he received treatment.
    His ankle was badly swollen and he sat out Brazil’s next two matches, staying at his hotel during the win over Switzerland as he combated a fever.
    But medics suggested Neymar’s injury was not serious and backed him to return for the knock-out stages.
    He is one of ten changes for the five-time champions with only Eder Militao keeping his place in the side.
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    The Real Madrid defender switches to right-back with Danilo starting at left-back following his two-game injury absence.
    There are also recalls for attacking trio Richarlison, Vinicius Jr and Raphinha as Brazil look to set-up a quarter-final clash with Croatia following their penalty shoot-out win over Japan.
    Manchester United star Casemiro returns after scoring the winner in his last appearance against Switzerland.
    He is joined in midfield by Lucas Paqueta with Neymar operating in front of the pair.
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    At the back Chelsea centre-back Thiago Silva starts alongside Brazil captain Marquinhos, with Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson replacing Ederson.
    Neymar has made 11 World Cup appearances for Brazil and has scored six goals in the competition. More

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    Watch Jack Grealish and Declan Rice do keepie-uppies over England hotel POOL as they relax after Senegal World Cup win

    ENGLAND stars Declan Rice and Jack Grealish enjoyed some downtime by the pool after Sunday’s 3-0 win over Senegal.But the pair couldn’t go too long without a ball at their feet.
    Jack Grealish passes the ball to Declan Rice over the swimming poolCredit: Getty
    Declan Rice controls the ball by the poolCredit: Getty
    The Three Lions duo showed off their skills with an impressive game of keepie-uppies over the water.
    They chilled out by the pool of the luxury Souq Al Wakra Hotel, where England are staying.
    Rice posted a video to Instagram of him and Grealish effortlessly pinging the ball to each other across the pool.
    Playmaker Grealish then set up Rice to head the ball as he jumped into the swimming pool.
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    The West Ham man obliged, heading the ball back to Grealish in midair as he dived into the water.
    Rice captioned his post: “Bit of fun this morning.”
    The midfielder has started all four of England’s games in Qatar so far, and is likely to retain his place for the quarter-final meeting with France.
    Grealish on the other hand has come off the bench in all four games.
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    Jack Grealish showed off his keepie-uppie skills by the swimming poolCredit: https://www.instagram.com/declanrice/
    Grealish and Declan Rice kicked the ball to each other over the waterCredit: https://www.instagram.com/declanrice/
    The pair effortlessly pinged the ball into the feet of the otherCredit: https://www.instagram.com/declanrice/
    Rice then headed the ball to Grealish as he jumped into the poolCredit: https://www.instagram.com/declanrice/

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    The pair were involved in wild England celebrations after arriving back at the hotel in the early hours of Sunday morning.
    Rice posted footage to social media of the players dancing in the hotel lobby after they arrived back at base following the last 16 win over Senegal.
    They were given a raucous reception by hotel staff in England shirts who waved flags and cheered as Gareth Southgate’s stars returned to HQ.
    Rice has starred for England at the World Cup, while Grealish has been a regular off the benchCredit: PA More

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    Fifa make decision on Griezmann’s late disallowed World Cup goal vs Tunisia after France appeal over VAR decision

    FIFA have dismissed France’s protest regarding their disallowed equaliser against Tunisia at the World Cup.Antoine Griezmann fired home in stoppage-time in what appeared to save France from suffering a shock defeat.
    Antoine Griezmann thought he had equalised late on for France against TunisiaCredit: PA
    Referee Matthew Conger ended up going to the monitor and ruling out the goalCredit: PA
    Griezmann went over to speak to the referee after his strike was disallowedCredit: Getty
    However, the goal was subsequently ruled out for offside after the final whistle when referee Matthew Conger went to the monitor as Tunisia clinched a famous 1-0 win.
    This was because when Aurelien Tchouameni’s cross came into the box, there was a subjective offside call based on whether defender Montassa Talibi made a “deliberate play” for the ball.
    If it was ruled he had then Griezmann would have been onside, but if he was deemed to be stretching for the ball and unable to have a true influence on where it ended up – so the goal was ruled out.
    But the decision itself was not at the centre of France’s appeal.
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    According to ESPN, what happened afterwards was what the world champions had a major issue with.
    Tunisia kicked off, only for the referee to blow for full-time moments later.
    And the fact that play resumed before the end of the game means a VAR review could then not take place by the letter of the law.
    Yet it still did – with Griezmann’s goal ruled out and play resuming for a Tunisian free-kick.
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    The game then ended for a second time 40 seconds later.
    But the Laws of the Game state that an incorrect use of VAR does not invalidate a game.
    As a result, Fifa have dismissed France’s protest.
    The outcome of the match ended up having no impact on either team’s tournament anyway.
    France still qualified as winners of Group D, while Tunisia were eliminated following Australia’s 1-0 win over Denmark. More