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      ‘Decided to show four men talking’ – Fans fume at BBC World Cup coverage as they avoid showing closing ceremony

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      FANS watching on BBC One were left fuming after they did not show the closing ceremony of the World Cup.Before the final between France and Argentina, fans tuned in expecting to watch the performances from singers and dancers marking the end of the tournament.
      BBC pundits talked through the opening ceremonyCredit: BBC
      Fans on the BBC could not see the action from the Lusail StadiumCredit: Reuters
      Fireworks were let off on the pitchCredit: Getty
      The ceremony was full of colourCredit: AFP
      There were performances from a number of famous pop starsCredit: Alamy
      However, those watching on the BBC were instead left with analysis from pundits Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Rio Ferdinand and Pablo Zabaleta.
      Supporters could view the ceremony on ITV or on a separate feed on the BBC iPlayer.
      Many were left underwhelmed by the BBC’s decision not to broadcast it on their main channel, one said online: “BBC are a joke as usual. How are they not showing the closing ceremony?”
      Another reacted: “ITV decided to show the whole ceremony with brilliant performers, colours, actors, singers, dancers and more. BBC decided to show four men talking.”
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      A third commented: “Respect to ITV for actually showing the closing ceremony. Crazy how BBC won’t even show it on their main channel.”
      One even went as far as breaking their traditional channel choice, they angrily Tweeted: “Well done to ITV for showing the closing ceremony. Shame on you BBC.
      “I always watch the World Cup final on BBC because of no adverts, not this year.”
      Another suggested similar: “I might stick with ITV for watching World Cup final. I cannot believe the BBC didn’t show the closing ceremony.”
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      This is not the first time the BBC have snubbed a ceremony in Qatar.
      They refused to broadcast the opening ceremony too.
      The closing show was a lively display of Qatari culture.
      Pop star Davido performed and actress Nora Fatehi took to the stage to headline the celebrations. More

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      World Cup legends arrive at Lusail Stadium for huge final clash between France and Argentina – how many can you name?

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      THE biggest names in football have arrived at the Lusail Stadium in Doha to witness today’s historic World Cup final.Reigning champions France take on Argentina this evening as both teams battle to claim a third World Cup title.
      Totti, Carlos and Cafu were all seen together before kick offCredit: Reuters
      Figo was also spotted before the gameCredit: Reuters
      Ibrahimovic and Pogba waved to fans from the standsCredit: AFP
      A host of A-list superstars are in attendance for the historic clash, including legends from Italy, Brazil and France.
      Brazil legends Roberto Carlos and Cafu were spotted having a catch-up in the stands before the game.
      And although Italy didn’t make it to the World Cup, Azzurri icon Francesco Totti travelled to Qatar for the occasion.
      The Italian superstar was later joined by Portugal Icon and Ballon d’Or winner Luis Figo.
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      Paul Pogba, who was part of the France squad that won the 2018 World Cup final against Croatia, also took to the stands ahead of the game.
      The midfielder was ruled out of the tournament in October after sustaining a thigh injury.
      He was joined by former Manchester United teammate and Sweden legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
      Despite being Sweden’s all-time leading goalscorer, Ibrahimovic never managed to score in a World Cup.
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      Pogba is watching his France teammates from the standsCredit: Rex
      But, with 121 international appearances to his name, the striker has certainly earned the right to be named among the legends of international football.
      Argentina icon Lionel Messi will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest World Cup stars of all time if he leads his team to victory this evening.
      The winger has already confirmed that today’s match against France will be his final World Cup match, so lifting the iconic Jules Rimet trophy will mark a perfect end to his international career. More

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      World Cup 2022 top scorers: Who will win golden boot if Messi and Mbappe tied?

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      THE World Cup is sadly coming to a close but the race for the Golden Boot is still well and truly on.Lionel Messi is not only chasing the one trophy which has eluded him in his illustrious career.
      Harry Kane won the World Cup 2018 Golden BootCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Lionel Messi is the front-runner for top scorer at the 2022 World CupCredit: Reuters
      But the Argentine legend now has one eye on the golden boot having worked his way to the top.
      His PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe is also battling with him.
      And the pair are set to go up against one another in Sunday’s mouth-watering World Cup final.
      England’s Harry Kane won it in 2018 but find out how the chart is looking for the Qatar edition.
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      World Cup Golden Boot standings

      Lionel Messi – Argentina – 6
      Kylian Mbappe – France – 5
      Olivier Giroud – France – 4
      Julian Alvarez – Argentina – 4
      Marcus Rashford – England – 3
      Bukayo Saka – England – 3
      Goncalo Ramos – Portugal – 3
      Alvaro Morata – Spain – 3
      Richarlison – Brazil – 3
      Cody Gakpo – Netherlands – 3
      Enner Valencia – Ecuador – 3
      Robert Lewandowski – Poland – 2
      Mehdi Taremi – Iran – 2
      Andrej Kramaric – Croatia – 2
      Breel Embolo – Switzerland – 2
      Kai Havertz – Germany – 2
      Aleksandar Mitrovic – Serbia – 2
      Ferran Torres – Spain – 2
      Mohammed Kudus – Ghana – 2
      Bruno Fernandes – Portugal – 2 More

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      Elon Musk makes surprise appearance at the World Cup final in Qatar to watch France v Argentina

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      ELON Musk has made a surprise appearance at the World Cup final in Qatar.The billionaire was seen walking into the Lusail Stadium to watch Argentina take on France in the final of tournament.
      Elon Musk arriving at the World Cup final
      The billionaire has been under fire for his handling of TwitterCredit: AFP
      After taking his seat in the ground he post a video showing the two countries’ giant flags.
      “At the World Cup right now, ” said 51-year-old Tesla and Space X entrepreneur.
      Earlier this year he made the shock announcement he was buying Manchester United, a club he claimed to have supported as a boy.
      Supporters on Twitter could not believe their luck when billionaire Musk casual posted: “I’m buying Manchester United ur welcome.”
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      In a Twitter thread regarding buying the team, Musk posted: ‘’Although, if it were any team, it would be Man U.
      “They were my fav team as a kid.’’
      But he confirmed in a following tweet that this was in fact not true and the whole episode was a wind up.
      ‘’No, this is a long running joke on Twitter. I’m not buying any sports teams.’’
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      His appearance comes in the wake of controversy over his takeover of Twitter.
      He came under fire for suspending the accounts of journalists who had written negative stories about his role at the social media site.
      As of 2022, his estimated net worth is $176billion, according to Forbes. More

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      Gary Neville names his best player of the World Cup – and it’s not Messi OR Mbappe

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      GARY NEVILLE has named his standout player of the World Cup – and it is not Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe.The two stars go head-to-head today as Argentina face France in the World Cup final.
      France’s Antoine Griezmann is hoping to fire France to World Cup gloryCredit: Reuters
      Gary Neville insists that Griezmann has been the standout performer at the tournamentCredit: Getty
      The pair are also battling it out to win the Golden Boot, with both joint-top of the scoring standings on five apiece.
      Whoever comes out on top will most-likely not only get their hands on the Golden Boot, but will be strong favourites to get the Golden Ball accolade too, an honour given to the player of the tournament.
      However, Manchester United legend and former England star Neville is adamant that another player has outshone both in Qatar.
      And it is Mbappe’s team-mate Antoine Griezmann, 31, who has impressed the ITV pundit the most.
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      Speaking about Atletico Madrid’s on-loan forward from Barcelona on the Football Daily, Neville said: “He’s been unbelievable and I think he has been the best player at the tournament in terms of overall player.
      “He’s done whatever his team has needed at every point in the game for them to win.
      “He played in the right channel against Morocco the other night and delivered success.
      “Then, in the second half when they were getting outrun and overplayed, he went back into a three in midfield.
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      “After that he then went and played deep in his own box winning tackles and headers and other things.
      “He’s been unbelievable Griezmann.”
      Neville added: “I didn’t realise how great he was until I played against him with Valencia against Atletico Madrid.
      “You see him in real-life and the sharpness, the intelligence of him, and the weight of the pass is a beautiful thing.”
      Griezmann has featured in all six matches for Les Bleus at the tournament but is yet to find the net.
      But that has not stopped his nation from dreaming about him firing them to a second-straight World Cup success. More

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      Argentina vs France – World Cup final 2022 LIVE: Stream FREE, score, TV channel – Messi and Di Maria running riot

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      ARGENTINA have doubled their lead against France as they dominate in the World Cup final.The South Americans have come firing out of the blocks in the final in Qatar, and their pressure has been rewarded with Lionel Messi’s calmly taken spot-kick.
      Angel Di Maria – who was recalled to the starting line-up – scored Argentina’s second before the end of the first half.
      France are aiming to become only the third team to retain the World Cup trophy, while Messi is bidding for the biggest prize in his final match for Argentina.

      Kick-off time: 3pm GMT
      Live stream: BBC iPlayer and ITV X
      TV channel: BBC One and ITV
      Argentina XI: Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; Di Maria, De Paul, Fernandez, Mac Allister; Messi, Alvarez
      France XI: Lloris; Kounde, Varane, Upamecano, T Hernandez; Griezmann, Tchouameni, Rabiot; O.Dembele, Mbappe, Giroud

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      46 Argentina 2-0 France
      No changes from either side as we kick things off in the second half.
      But reminding you that France manager Deschamps made a shock double switch in the closing stages of the first half with Kolo Muani and Thuram replacing Giroud and Dembele
      Argentina 2-0 France
      Peep!
      Off we go again in Qatar!!!
      Messi vs France
      Argentina captain Lionel Messi has absolutely dominated against France in the first half.
      Messi scored from the penalty spot and then started a brilliant attack that ended with Angel Di Maria’s goal.
      But the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner did so much more than that.
      More below:

      Word from the ground
      Here’s what SunSport’s man on the field Martin Lipton makes of the first half from the Lusail Stadium:
      French fans have gone very quiet.
      Not a surprise, really. This wasn’t meant to happen.
      But Deschamps’ team have looked a pale imitation of their normal selves.
      They have to do something that looks a long way beyond them to get themselves back into this contest.
      That means Mbappe turning up. His performance so far has been little short of an embarrassment.
      The Argentine army is convinced they are 45 minutes away from glory. You can’t blame them for that.Martin LiptonSunSport
      Messi vs Mbappe
      This has been built as a dream match between Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
      But so far this has been the Messi show with the Argentina captain moving the ball everywhere.
      France superstar Mbappe, on the other hand, has been non-existent and only picked the ball down the left.
      More below:

      Argentina vs France stats
      Argentina dominated 59 per cent of possession against France in the first half.
      The Albiceleste registered a total of six shots, three of which were on target.
      France, on the other hand, were very disappointing and didn’t produce a single shot.
      More below:

      HT: Argentina 2-0 France
      Argentina are 2-0 up against France following a rather smooth first half for Lionel Scaloni’s men at the Lusail Stadium.
      The Albiceleste opened the scoring on 23 minutes when Lionel Messi beat Hugo Lloris from the penalty spot after Ousmane Dembele tripped Angel Di Maria from behind inside the area.
      The Argentine doubled their lead after 36 minutes with some brilliant passing football.
      Messi flicked it to Julian Alvarez on his right and the Manchester City ace found Alexis Mac Allister who passed to the incoming Di Maria on the left.
      The Juventus star found himself in front of Lloris and beat him with a clinical shot that hit the France captain’s bottom left corner
      Credit: Getty
      HT: Argentina 2-0 France
      Peep!
      That’s half-time in Qatar!!!
      45+7 Argentina 2-0 France
      Yellow card
      We have the first booking of the match and it goes to Fernandez for a late challenge on Kolo Muani
      45+5 Argentina 2-0 France
      France are obviously livelier and attackers, like Kolo Muani, look to be well up for it.
      But they will need to show a lot more in the second half – Mbappe has been non-existent.
      Such an easy first half for Argentina, perhaps their easiest in the entire tournament
      45+3 Argentina 2-0 France
      Messi is playing one of the best matches of his career, but Di Maria has also been on fire down the left.
      The Argentina captain keeps feeding some wonderful crosses to the Juventus star, who constantly makes them count.
      No wonder he finished that wonderful play with a clinical goal…
      Credit: Reuters
      Credit: EPA
      45 Argentina 2-0 France
      Seven minutes of stoppage time to go until half-time.
      France have already improved with Deschamps’ double switch – the world champs look livelier and quicker. But not by much…
      44 Argentina 2-0 France
      France manager Deschamps seems like he didn’t want to wait for half-time to send a message to his players that need to wake up.
      Plus, Les Bleus need pace – something that Thuram and Kolo Muani have.
      Finally, this allows Mbappe to play in the middle and spearhead the Tricolores’ attack
      43 Argentina 2-0 France
      Here’s what SunSport’s Martin Lipton makes of Di Maria’s brilliant goal:
      And that IS a great goal.
      Outstanding team play, magnificent one-touch passing, maturity by Mac Allister to pick the right option with Kounde steaming across and calm assurance in Di Maria’s finish.
      France look shellshocked and potentially broken.
      Plenty of teams have come from one down to win a World Cup.
      Only West Germany in 1954 have come from two behind.Martin LiptonSunSport
      40 Argentina 2-0 France
      Subsitution
      France manager Deschamps shakes things up just five minutes before half-time.
      Thuram and Kolo Muani come on for Giroud and Dembele respectively.
      Risky from the French boss…
      38 Argentina 2-0 France
      That goal comes down to Messi’s brilliance, the Argentina captain’s genius flick to Alvarez on his right was the difference maker.
      That allowed the Man City ace to find Mac Allister in front of him, then the Brighton star played a brilliant through ball to Di Maria who beat Lloris
      36 Argentina 2-0 France
      What a goal by Argentina, perfect team work from Scaloni’s men! Absolute masterpiece!
      Messi chips it to Alvarez on his right and the Man City ace finds Mac Allister who plays it to the incoming Di Maria on the left.
      The Juventus star then beats Lloris with a clinical shot that hits the bottom left corner

      36 Argentina 2-0 France
      Goal!
      Argentina double the lead with Di Maria!!!
      35 Argentina 1-0 France
      Here’s some more insight from SunSport’s Martin Lipton:
      The Argentina fans are in dreamland, even though it’s only a single goal.
      France simply have not got going, at all.
      They look leggy.Maybe that bug has taken more out of them than anyone knew?
      At some point, if France are to get back into this, Mbappe has got to come to the party. So far he seems to have forgotten his invitation.Martin LiptonSunSport
      33 Argentina 1-0 France
      Messi is basically unbeatable in the first half so far, the Argentina captain always finds space to move and pass to Di Maria as well as Mac Allister on the wings.
      Excellent link-up between the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and the midfield duo of Fernandez as well as De Paul
      30 Argentina 1-0 France
      Argentina continue to dominate against a stricken France…
      The Albiceleste are obviously boosted by their home crowd-like support while the French are struggling to find their rhythm
      28 Argentina 1-0 France
      Messi has sparked wild celebrations on the pitch and stands, where his family is watching from.
      The Argentina captain has equalled Pele in World Cup goals as he just netted his 12th
      Credit: Reuters
      Credit: Getty
      Credit: Rex
      25 Argentina 1-0 France
      Here’s what SunSport’s man on the field Martin Lipton thought about Argentina’s penalty:
      What WAS he thinking?
      Tension and pressure make mincemeat of brains.
      This time it is Dembele’s wiring that was scrambled, with a needless and clear-cut trip on Di Maria.
      Penalty. Absolutely. 100 per cent.
      The decision was instant and Messi sent Lloris the wrong way.
      For the first time since the start of the game, Deschamps is out of his dug-out. Scaloni, who has been on the edge of his all match, retreats into his seat.Martin LiptonSunSport
      22 Argentina 1-0 France
      Messi is one step closer to finally winning his first ever World Cup.
      The Argentina captain takes the penalty kick and sends the ball to the bottom left corner while Lloris goes the other way!
      Wild celebrations from the Albiceleste players and bench as well as Messi’s family up in the booths

      22 Argentina 1-0 France
      Goal
      Argentina open the scoring with Messi!
      Load more entries… More

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      Fans all say the same thing about Roy Keane’s moustache and soul patch as he returns to ITV coverage for World Cup final

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      FANS are saying the same thing after Roy Keane appeared with a moustache and soul patch at the World Cup final.The football pundit appeared on ITV’s coverage of the match with the new look, and it caused a stir online among football fans.
      Roy Keane had a full beard earlier in the tournament tournamentCredit: Twitter @itvfootball
      But he changed to a moustache and soul patch for the World Cup finalCredit: Twitter / @itvfootball
      Keane was on the panel alongside Gary Neville and Ian Wright ahead of Argentina’s history-making final against France.
      But despite this, fans were putting their attention on Keane’s newly trimmed facial hair on social media.
      One tweeted: “Roy Keane going for the Captain Hook look here”.
      A second wrote: “I’m here for nothing more than Roy Keane’s 80’s pornstar tache.”
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      A third added: “Roy Keane looks great as a musketeer”.
      A fourth said: “F****** serious tache and soul patch combo on Roy Keane that. Renaissance man”.
      A fifth chimed in with: “Roy Keane rocking the Frank Zappa ‘tache and beard combo. I’m here for it”.
      A sixth wrote: “Roy Keane looks absolutely mental with this new facial trim, like an Evil Villain”.
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      Former Man Utd and Ireland legend Keane, 51, has been has been one of the stars the tournament.
      He became embroiled in a bitter row over DANCING with Brazil’s manager Tite.

      And he showed that he still possessed some of the magic that made him one of the greatest midfielders of his generation by scoring the winner in an ITV vs BBC pundits match.
      Keane’s celebration was a work of art too – racing off with his top off before leaping over a wheelie bin. More

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      Argentina forced to make late change to starting XI for World Cup final as Acuna is replaced by Tagliafico

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      ARGENTINA were forced into making a late change to their line-up for the World Cup Final.Marcos Acuna has come in at left-back for Nicolas Tagliafico in a switch shortly before kick-off.
      Tagliafico has been dropped from the starting line-upCredit: Getty
      Marcos Acuna has faced a late World Cup Final call up from the benchCredit: Getty
      Acuna had missed the semi-final against Croatia due to injury.
      The switch is not believed to be for tactical reasons and it is reported that Tagliafico has picked up a knock.
      The full-back had made five appearances in this World Cup but then missed out on the final.
      Acuna, 31, came in for the huge clash against the holders.
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      He was facing Ousmane Dembele on the flank while his full-back counterpart Nahuel Molina had the difficult task of containing Kylian Mbappe.
      Argentina reached the final despite an awkward start to life in Qatar.
      The South American side were humbled by Saudi Arabia in one of the biggest shocks of World Cup history in their opening game.
      But they have since back in fine fashion.
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      Wins over Mexico and Poland saw clear the group, before an awkward knockout win over Australia.
      They beat the Dutch on penalties after an ill-tempered and frenetic game before seeing off Croatia on penalties.
      A shock defeat against Tunisia aside, France have faced a far more straightforward path to the final but had to live on their wits to squeeze past England and Morocco. More