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Fans following World Cup swing between cautiously and wildly optimistic about chances Colombia does not really do quiet: the need for music, talk and laughter is too deeply ingrained in the national soul. But on Thursday morning its second city, Medellín, fell silent as if the soundtrack had been switched off. It flipped back on at 10.33am, as throaty roars, shrieks, squeals and cries of “Gol! Gol! Gol!” burst out in unison on every street in the city. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2MARx2O

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By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY from NYT Sports https://ift.tt/2Mvq9n1

England manager has never been allowed to forget his semi-final miss against Germany and is adamant his players will not suffer the same fate at the 2018 World Cup It was inevitable that, at some point, the conversation with Gareth Southgate would turn to the most harrowing ordeal of his professional life and the reasons why the England manager, after two decades of living with the consequences, is so determined to make sure his team will not fall into the same trap. Southgate was thinking back to that night against Germany in the semi-final of Euro 96, with the game drawn 1-1, and the traumatic events that led to John Major, the prime minister, offering him a sympathetic hug outside Wembley. The night Southgate was asked by Terry Venables, just moments before the penalty shootout started, if he would take one and it hit him, in his own words, like “a bolt from the blue”. The night he assured Bryan Robson that, yes, he had taken a penalty before. “Bryan didn’t ask for details,” South...

• Tottenham players in regular contact on WhatsApp • Sánchez: ‘If I play against him, I’ll try to stop him’ The Tottenham Hotspur player WhatsApp group has taken a global twist. The club have 12 on World Cup duty, representing six nations and, whenever one of them or their teams do well, the messages and encouragement follow. The tone of some of the exchanges may be different in the coming days or perhaps radio silence will descend out of necessity. Davinson Sánchez is the lone Spur in the Colombia squad and he has begun to prepare for Tuesday’s last-16 match with England . Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2N9XcOF

• ‘He has been banging goals in since leaving Premier League’ • Colombia striker reignited his career in Ligue 1 with Monaco Gary Cahill believes England will face a far more deadly Radamel Falcao when they play Colombia on Tuesday than the player who failed to make an impact in the Premier League. From Cristiano Ronaldo in Germany in 2006, to Mario Balotelli and Luis Suárez in Brazil four years ago, England are painfully aware of the damage that can be inflicted by Premier League alumni on the big stage. Whether it is a keener awareness of the opposition or some deeper motivation to prove a point to those who doubted them, each has contributed significantly to England’s exit from the World Cup in tournaments past. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2IErA05

• ‘They tore us apart in group,’ admits Poland goalkeeper • Midfield particularly strong with Rodríguez and Quintero Lukasz Fabianski has warned England that Colombia are formidable opponents and capable of tearing teams apart if they get control of the game. Reflecting on the way in which Poland were comprehensively outclassed and outplayed by Colombia during their 3-0 defeat in Kazan , Fabianski described José Pekerman’s side as “the team to avoid at this stage” and highlighted the quality of their midfield in particular. England face Colombia in Moscow on Tuesday after losing their final group game against Belgium on Thursday to finish second, with that 1-0 defeat putting Gareth Southgate’s side in the easier half of the draw in the eyes of some. Yet Fabianski, who made his first appearance at the World Cup finals in Poland’s 1-0 win over Japan , believes that England have made life a lot harder for themselves in another respect. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardi...

• England manager happy with decisions for Belgium game • Southgate says Harry Kane was ‘brilliant’ about sitting it out Gareth Southgate has conceded his honeymoon period as England manager is over and admitted the decision to rest so many players for the team’s final World Cup group game has left him open to criticism should the knockout tie with Colombia be lost. The England players had accepted Southgate’s plan to make eight changes for the game against Belgium in Kaliningrad, where they were beaten 1-0, with the manager making a point of taking his captain, Harry Kane, to one side to explain his reasoning. The defeat has actually dropped England into a potentially more favourable side of the draw but, with momentum checked, Colombia represent awkward opponents in Tuesday’s last-16 tie in Moscow. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2Kz922Y

A Day of the Dead-themed parade in Moscow was called off after communist lawmakers objected Mexican soccer fans have called off a Day of the Dead-themed parade in Moscow’s Red Square after communist lawmakers objected to the event being held so close to Lenin’s tomb. A carnival atmosphere has taken over parts of the capital as thousands of fans pack to watch the soccer World Cup. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2ySAuaw

A brilliantly entertaining group stage produced 116 goals and a plethora of stories – this already feels like a tournament with is own distinctive character And breathe. After 48 matches, 116 goals and a thrillingly varied swag-bag of drama, big-name angst and rolling VAR-palaver, Russia 2018 has now reached its midpoint. These things invariably alter from week to week, the tone and texture of a tournament defined by a few key games. But as the World Cup takes a breath, hitches its shorts up and contemplates a final punt through the laces at the knockout stage, it already feels like a tournament with its own distinctive character. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2KzHxGO

There are tickets available for France v Argentina and, more importantly, Colombia v England on Tuesday in Moscow Tickets for six of the eight round of 16 games are still available to varying degrees on the Fifa late availability website. There is still high availability for France v Argentina in Kazan on Saturday, which might be useful for those fans already in Russia. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2KgHzqV

By BEN ROTHENBERG from NYT Sports https://ift.tt/2KuZ5Us

• ‘We’d like to neutralise him but know he can make difference’ • France need Antoine Griezmann to spark against Argentina If a manager’s demeanour in front of the cameras is an indication of the state of his team then France risk staring into the void. The auditorium inside the Kazan Arena is cavernous but after 20 minutes in the presence of Didier Deschamps it seemed to have been sucked dry of air. Nobody present came away feeling remotely illuminated as to how his team may galvanise themselves to overcome Argentina on Saturday, although they did, at least, depart reassured Deschamps knew the identity of their bete noire. “Messi is Messi,” pronounced Deschamps, an observation he repeated later on for good measure. “We’d like to mark and neutralise him but we know very well he can make the difference with very little. We have to take that into account.” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2Kx1Urb