World Cup

FRANCE take on Argentina in a star-studded World Cup final this Sunday.The match will pit Paris Saint-Germain team-mates Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi against each other as they do battle for football’s greatest prize.
Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe met at the 2018 World CupCredit: AFP or licensors
Messi, 35, is aiming to perfectly crown his astounding career by finally getting his hands on the one trophy that has eluded him.
Mbappe, meanwhile, is aiming to win it AGAIN aged just 23.
On the way to his previous triumph, a teenage Mbappe inspired his side to a thrilling 4-3 victory over Messi’s Argentina in the round of 16.
The French forward scored twice in the astonishing match, laying down his claim as the heir to Messi’s football throne in front of the man himself.
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Much has changed since that clash, with just 11 of the 22 players that started in contention to feature on Sunday.
France began with Hugo Lloris in goal that day, with the Tottenham ace still No1 this time around, possibly thanks to Mike Maignan’s pre-tournament injury.
He had a back four in front of him featuring Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti and Lucas Hernandez.
Pavard is in the squad but has been benched for Jules Kounde since the first game, while Hernandez was replaced by brother Theo after suffering a serious injury against Australia.
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Varane is still a colossus at the heart of the defence, although Umtiti, 29, now plays for Lecce and hasn’t featured for Les Bleus since 2019.
France boasted an incredible midfield partnership of N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba in 2018, and both would have been integral in Qatar had it not been for devastating pre-tournament injuries.
Mbappe played on the right-wing in 2018, rather than the spot on the left flank we have become accustomed to seeing him in these days.
That place in the team was taken back then by workmanlike Blaise Matuidi, with the popular 35-year-old having visited the current crop after their semi-final win this week.
Antoine Griezmann started then as he will on Sunday, having thrived in a new midfield role for Didier Deschamps.
Olivier Giroud will start upfront again, meanwhile, after Deschamps batted away suggestions that Karim Benzema could make a sensational return from injury to rejoin his team-mates in Qatar.
Corentin Tolisso, Nabil Fekir and Florian Thauvin came off the bench in 2018, none of whom are in the current squad – although unused subs Alphonse Areola, Steve Mandanda and Ousmane Dembele will be in contention.
Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann will feature again on Sunday, as they did in 2018Credit: Getty Images – Getty
A very different Argentina side was left devastated four years agoCredit: Reuters
Argentina, meanwhile, started goalkeeper Franco Armani last time out.
The veteran stopper is still in the squad, but has been replaced as No1 by Aston Villa ace Emi Martinez.
Gabriel Mercado, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Rojo and Nicolas Tagliafico made up the back four for then-boss Jorge Sampaoli.
Otamendi and Tagliafico could start at the weekend, although Mercado, 35, and ex-Man United ace Rojo, 32, haven’t played for the national team since 2019.
Javier Mascherano, Enzo Perez and Ever Banega made up an ageing midfield – with none of the trio in the current squad.
Messi, meanwhile, was flanked up front by Cristian Pavon, now 26, and Angel Di Maria.
Di Maria could overcome fitness issues to start this Sunday, although 11-cap Pavon has been in the international wilderness since late 2018.
Federico Fazio, Sergio Aguero and Maximiliano Meza came off the bench during the 4-3 thriller.
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Aguero is in Qatar to support his pals, having had to retire last year.
Paulo Dybala was an unused substitute in 2018, but he could feature this time around. More

ARGENTINA’S Wags left their posh hotel following a late-night power cut, it has been revealed.The likes of Jorgelina Cardoso, the wife of Angel Di Maria, Linda Raff, Alejandro Gomez’s other half, and Agustina Gandolfo, the wife of Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez, were all staying at the Waterfront Hotel in Qatar ahead of Sunday’s final.
The Argentine Wags have left the Waterfront Hotel in QatarCredit: Reuters
Angel Di Maria’s wife Jorgelina Cardoso was one of the Wags staying at the hotelCredit: Instagram
Lautaro Martinez’s partner Agustina Gandolfo was another in the Waterfront HotelCredit: Getty
But their glorious stay in the luxury complex was brought to a sudden end following the power outage.
A source close to the Wags told The Mail: “The Argentines have paid a lot of money and do not expect to have to sit in darkness in their hotel rooms – and there were safety issues too.
“Many of them have young children and babies and after talking to the players and other staff, they decided to move.”
Argentina face France in the World Cup final at the Lusail Stadium on Sunday.
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So this was not the best preparation for the players as they were left concerned about the welfare of their family.
And the power cut was not the only consideration which saw them decide to leave at short notice.
They vacated to an alternative hotel after Martinez’s partner, Agustina, claims she found glass in her drink while out at a club celebrating Argentina’s victory over Croatia.
Worried that she may have swallowed some of it, she went to hospital but was given the all clear.
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When some people then suggested she had planted the glass there herself, she took to social media to respond.
Agustina said: “A disgrace, we have the complaint and witnesses at the club.”
The Waterfront is one of seven hotels involved in a dispute over financial arrangements with tour operators Khaya and the Sheikh owners.
A number rows have broken out following claims from operators that guests were asked for additional payments when checking into rooms – even though they had been prepaid.
Agustina has more than one million followers on InstagramCredit: Instagram
She has been spotted at Argentina’s matches at the World CupCredit: Getty
Alejandro Gomez’s wife Linda Raff has also been forced to move hotelCredit: INSTAGRAM More

GARETH Southgate will be given the Christmas break to decide if he wants to stay on as England boss.But the FA high command remains desperate for Southgate to see out his contract and take the Three Lions through to Euro 2024.
Gareth Southgate will be given the Christmas break to decide his futureCredit: AP
Wembley chiefs recognise that Southgate is mentally and emotionally drained after England’s run to the quarter-finals.
And despite some carping from outside the England camp, nobody within the Wembley set-up wants change at the top now.
The hope within the FA is that Southgate will take time to reflect on what has happened over the past few weeks and feel he does have the appetite and desire to return for a further 18 months at the England helm.
At the same time, there is an understanding that Southgate deserves space to recharge his batteries with his family and ponder whether he has the energy to put himself through the wringer one last time.
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With the Christmas break looming, it means the FA anticipate sitting down with Southgate early in the New Year so that a prompt decision can then be made by all parties.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham and chair Debbie Hewitt went public in their desire for Southgate to stay on in the immediate aftermath of the last eight exit.
And another powerbroker, former Arsenal and FA vice-chairman David Dein added his opinion as he said: “In my opinion Gareth should stay.
“The FA think the same, they want him to stay.
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“He may decide he can’t take the team any further and he may be right.
“But even then I’d like him to stay in some capacity. Because I think he’s a decent man.”
Dein, who will have been to 58 of the 64 World Cup matches by the end of the tournament, added: “Qatar have won a lot of friends because of this World Cup and the way it has been handled.
“If you ask the fans and you ask the players have they enjoyed it, yes they have. And we have to ask ourselves, what is football without fans?
“This has been a unique experience.
“I am hoping it will change the Qataris, too. Qatar will benefit from this going forward. I hope so. That should be a legacy for them.”
England were beaten by France in the World Cup quarter-finalCredit: Getty More

THE REFEREE that will officiate the 2022 World Cup Final between Argentina and France has been revealed.And it will be Polish official Szymon Marciniak who will be calling the mega clash at the Lusail Stadium this Sunday.
Szymon Marciniak will referee the 2022 World Cup Final between Argentina and FranceCredit: Getty
The World Cup Final takes place this Sunday at the Lusail StadiumCredit: Getty
According to Sports Center, Fifa referee chairman Pierluigi Collina has picked Marciniak as the man for the tournament’s big match.
That is after the 41-year-old’s strong performances refereeing both finalists in the World Cup’s earlier stages.
The Polish ref officiated France’s 2-1 win over Denmark in the group stage.
Marciniak also called Argentina’s 2-1 victory against Australia in the Last 16.
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His experience refereeing both competitors means he has convinced he has what it takes to manage the final.
That is after Premier League official Michael Oliver was sent back to England.
Fellow English referee Anthony Taylor remained in Qatar but wasn’t in the running for the final.
England fans, though, will be satisfied Wilton Sampaio didn’t get the nod.
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Sampaio was considered a candidate despite his controversial calls during the Three Lions’ quarter-final clash with France, which saw Gareth Southgate’s men getting knocked out after losing 2-1.
The Brazilian referee awarded England two penalties but failed to spot another when Dayot Upamecano fouled Harry Kane inside the box.
Sampaio also didn’t see a foul on Bukayo Saka by Upamecano before Aurelien Tchouameni’s opener. More

Argentina superstar Lionel Messi explained how he “surprised” Croatia’s penalty hero Dominik Livakovic in the 2022 World Cup semi-final.Paris Saint-Germain star Messi led Argentina to a 3-0 triumph over Luka Modric and co by opening the scoring on 34 minutes from the spot before setting up Manchester City ace Julian Alvarez’s brace.
Lionel Messi led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup Final by scoring against CroatiaCredit: Getty
Argentina star Lionel Messi knew the secret how to beat Croatia’s Dominik LivakovicCredit: Getty
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner studied the Croatian goalkeeper, who proved to be quite the penalty master as he had already saved four spot-kicks against Japan and Brazil.
The star forward did his homework on his opponent’s saving techniques next to team-mates Emiliano Martinez and Geronimo Rulli.
The Argentina captain and the two keepers quickly realised Livakovic preferred to wait for the taker to make the first move.
That is why the 35-year-old fired his shot into the top right corner at once after a short and sharp run.
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The Barcelona legend knew he couldn’t stutter and wait for the Dinamo Zagreb keeper to flinch first.
Messi told TyC Sports: “I studied the Croatian goalkeeper’s technique with Geronimo Rulli and with Dibu [Martinez].
“We talked about how he waited a lot. The best thing to do was to surprise and hit it at once, instead of waiting and holding him.
“When they hold him for a long time, it’s difficult. I was determined to kick like that.”
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Messi has also proven to be quite the penalty master in the World Cup as he scored three out of four – his only miss took place against Poland in the group stage when Wojciech Szczesny denied him.
The talismanic attacker may have to take another one on Sunday when Argentina face France in the final at the Lusail Stadium.
That of course will almost definitely be Messi’s final chance to win the World Cup. More

FERNANDO SANTOS has been sacked as Portugal manager following the team’s World Cup exit.Portugal were one of the favourites to win the competition in Qatar, but were knocked out by Morocco in the quarter-finals.
Fernando Santos has been sacked as Portugal’s head coachCredit: Getty
Jose Mourinho is believed to be the favourite to replace himCredit: AP
Santos has led the team successfully to the top of their World Cup group before hammering Switzerland 6-1 in the round of 16.
Portugal won two of their group games as they beat Ghana and Uruguay, although they did lose to South Korea.

The manager had enjoyed success with the national side as he helped them to the trophy at Euro 2016, just two years after he was appointed.
Portugal also won the 2019 Nations League finals under Santos.
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The qualifying campaign for Euro 2024 starts on March 23 next year as Portugal take on Liechtenstein.
It has been reported that former Chelsea and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is the Portugal chiefs’ favourite to take the job.
The Portuguese FA would like to have the current Roma boss in position well before the next campaign.
This would be to allow him time to identify Portugal’s top talents for a new tactical system.
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However due to his commitments at the Serie A club, an arrangement would need to be agreed to.
It is believed that Portugal chiefs are prepared to let Mourinho work BOTH roles should Roma agree to the arrangement.
Should Mou replace Santos, one of his first tasks will be to decide the future of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The ex-Man Utd man is now a free agent and was dropped for Portugal’s final two World Cup games.
However, reports claims Ronaldo is not planning to retire from international duty and sees himself leading the line at the next Euros.
Mourinho and Ronnie worked together for several years at Real Madrid, breaking Barcelona’s La Liga domination.
But it would remain to be seen whether Mourinho sees Ronaldo in the same light a decade later. More